Spider-Girl: Turn Off The Dark
by LunaOdin1234
Summary: Spider-Man: Turn Off The Dark. One of the biggest flops Broadway has ever seen. Sadly, people didn't think it was very good, similar to shows like 'The Little Mermaid', or 'Percy Jackson'-shows of short-lived Off-Broadway success. This is what happens when someone gets the crazy idea to bring these three stories together…Better Than It Sounds, Trust Me.
1. Tales From Long Ago

**A/N.  
Okay...before anyone tries, don't attack me over this.**

 **I know. This has to be one of the most ridiculous ideas a person can even fathom. I've had crazy ideas like this before, and they haven't really worked out well in my head either. But the more it developed in my head, the more I thought this three-way crossover might actually work. I discovered the Spider-Man musical in February of 2018, during practice for a show I was in at the time in my town. I had already been in another local production of 'The Little Mermaid' two years prior, and my sister loves anything to do with Percy Jackson...well, except for the second movie (the only thing I liked about that one was the music. Gorgeous). That's when the wheels in my head began turning…**

 **Here we are five months later, after countless hours of listening to the Spider-Man Broadway soundtrack, and many more countless hours letting a story be born, carefully molding and shaping this creation in my head. I did what I could to try and create a presentable story, and I think this did the trick. I was never a Spider-Man fan before this, so don't lash out if I get stuff or people's personalities wrong. I did the best I could. Surprisingly enough, Peter Parker actually plays a very secondary role in this...Oh, one more thing! I may or may not have changed some people's relations...like who's related to who. Some people, my two main characters families in particular, have been drastically changed. Please don't mind that, it's the only way the story would fit. Also, both of my main characters are OCs. Trust me, this will not go down in a big flop like the musical did.**

 **Wow, that has to be the longest A/N I've ever written, period. I say we get into the story now. One more thing! Don't leave any inappropriate comments. I know there may be some major stuff in here that people might not like, but I think are fine, so just please don't say anything insulting, okay? With that out of the way, I hope everyone actually likes this story. And once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Enjoy!  
** Chapter One: Tales From Long Ago…  
 **Present Day, New York City.**

"Violet! Tell me a story now!" Estelle squealed.

"As soon as you stop jumping. You're gonna hurt yourself." I told my four-year old sister, who was currently bouncing on my bed like she was, as she described it, a bunny. Her long black waves were starting to become wild and tangled, and her face was already messy with copious amounts of pink frosting on it from the cake we had eaten earlier. The reason she was so hyped up was because it was her birthday that day, and she'd already had more cake than she needed. But me and my brothers knew the trick to calm her down.

As soon as I said that, Stel flopped down on the covers, green eyes shining from being so hyper. "Okay. Now can you tell me a story?" I giggled, picked her up and placed her in her own bed on the other side of our room. "Sure thing, sweetie." I said. "Can you tell me about Circe again? Or how about the Titans? Or Lady Artemis?! You know she's my favorite!" As I picked up the book, I smiled to myself. I knew exactly what story to tell my sister.

I had received the book when I was eight. Day and night, I would spend hours pouring over the pages, and then thinking about them for hours on end. My older brothers, Peter, Eric, and Percy, all said I was obsessed with it. But even though they were right, I didn't care a bit. The book was a huge hardcover filled to the brim with everything a person needed to know about Greek Myths. I loved them so much. About a year ago, while Estelle was poking around through our room, she discovered the book, and requested for me to start telling the stories in it. Now, she was starting to fall in love with them as well. I had told her at least half of them already, and she was learning fast. But I had decided early on to save a special one for a special occasion. My all-time favorite, a tale of transformation and redemption. ****

"Don't read her those stories. You're gonna scare her." My fifteen-year-old brother Percy said from the doorway. He looked similar to me and Estelle, with black hair and green eyes of his own. I had black hair, but soft brown eyes instead of green. Estelle sat up and stuck out her tongue at Percy. "You just don't appreciate **art**." I said, sitting down next to Stel.

"It definitely scared Tyson. He threw a pound of raw steak out the upstairs window a few months ago after you told him and Stel about the Minotaur." he continued. "What? Cows are evil!" said seven-year-old Tyson, coming in to sit with us. "Hey! What are you doing out of bed? I thought Eric was handling that!" I said. Eighteen-year-old Eric joined Percy in the doorway, saying, "I was, until he heard that Violet was staying up later. Now he wants to, too."

"Well, that's just because I'm reading to Stel tonight." I explained. "Violet! Violet! Tell me the story now! I can't wait forever!" said Stel, coming dangerously close to going on another bouncing spree. "Vi, I think you should start reading to her, or she'll never let anyone get any sleep." said twenty-one-year-old Peter as he walked in. I sighed, knowing he was right. I had a field-trip in the morning, and Peter worked at the place we were going, so he knew I had to get rest. But it's almost impossible with Tyson and Stel. Heck, I'm only fourteen, and already, I'm helping in raising my two youngest siblings.

"Alright. Tonight, I'm telling my favorite story of all." I said, making my voice sound mystical for Estelle and Tyson. Instantly, they were drawn in. "Which one is your favorite?" asked Tyson. I smiled widely as the name left my lips.

"The Myth...of Alonzo, son of Athena."

Percy snorted with laughter. "What kind of a name is _that?!_ "

"Shh! She's talking!" Estelle said, putting a finger to her lips. Percy shrugged and went to sit down on the floor with Eric. Peter still stood in the doorway.

I instantly went back to storytelling. My heart was beginning to pound, excitement filling every inch of me. This was going to be epic.

"I've already told you a little bit about Athena. Daughter of Zeus, Goddess of Warfare and Wisdom...but did I ever tell you she had children?" I asked. Estelle shook her head. "Exactly. She, like many of the characters from these Myths, ended up having many children. Athena's story is probably one of the most enthralling...and tragic...of them all." With a deep breath, I began.

"Athena met her first husband when she was a young adult. Of course, the Olympians are immortal, but this is when she was young. They married, and ended up having seven children together. Seven lovely daughters, all perfect and beautiful. There was Attina, the oldest, brave and fiercely protective of her siblings. Allana, shy, but sweet, and served as a second hand to her elder sister. Adella, very social and friendly. Aquata, a little vain about her looks, and somewhat snobbish, but a very beautiful person underneath all that. Arista, very hyperactive, and also very friendly. Andrina, the prankster, always playing jokes and making people laugh. And finally, the adventurous one...Ariel. Things were perfect, until shortly after Ariel's birth when Athena discovered that her husband was a descendant of Poseidon, with whom she had a rivalry. Anyone smart could have guessed that their relationship didn't last long after that."

"The second time she got married, she didn't know that her new husband did not like his stepdaughters one bit. As a matter in fact, he didn't like children at all. Eight-year-old Attina suspected this most, and became more protective of her sisters than ever. A few months later, another daughter was born. She would later be known for being incredibly smart, and resembling her mother the most. Annabeth. If Athena's husband wasn't mad enough about suddenly being step-father to Athena's older daughters, he absolutely despised the idea of having a child of his own. In a desperate attempt to be rid of his daughter, Annabeth's father tried to sell her into slavery. Attina followed him, saved her sister, and reported him to her mother. She immediately left him for good, knowing he didn't deserve to have a family if he was going to be ungrateful for it."

"Believe it or not, Athena fell in love a third time, and at first, he seemed great. He wasn't descended from any deities, and he was great with children. Almost a year after their marriage, she had her ninth child, yet another daughter, Arachne, who would become famous for playing a disastrous role in one of her sibling's later life. Before Arachne's first birthday however, the giant Typhon waged war on her father, Zeus, and attempted to take over Olympus. Athena flew to her father's side, leaving her daughters in the safety of her husband. Even more trouble struck Athena when she learned during the war that she was pregnant. All while she and the other Olympians fought, she prayed for her unborn child to be safe. The Olympians eventually won, and Athena returned to her husband and daughters, just in time for the baby to be born."

"This baby...was different."

"Because this baby...was her first, and only, son."

"Eventually, after a long and turbulent next couple of years, including her husband gradually going in a downwards spiral into being a complete jerk, Athena left her husband, and all of her children lived of Olympus with her. Everyone was very fond of Athena's children, and got along with them well. As they grew, Alonzo took up a skill that he shared with his mother and (partially) his sisters. That skill, was **weaving**. Of course, sense his mother invented weaving, it made total sense that he would be good at it. But Alonzo...he might have been even _better_ than her. He went on, and his skill grew. Literally everyone admired his talents, and his mother and sisters were proud of him… until Arachne got a little too proud of him. She began boasting, and the worst event of their lives began...calling how closely knit the siblings were into question…"

 **Ancient Greek Times**

' _Deep Breath.'_

Alonzo's fingers were flying.

' _We've seen this thousands of times before. He's perfect.'_

His sisters and the crowd all held their breath as he neared finishing.

' _Any second now…'_

"DONE!" shouted Arista as Alonzo pushed his seat away from the loom, admiring his work. Like the countless others he'd done in the past, it was magnificent. Alonzo was a bit naive when it came to his talents. He just didn't see how much potential lay inside of him. He slowly turned, black hair slightly ruffled and shining amber eyes nervous. "So...did I do okay?"

It was no surprise when he was met with wild applause. Well, of course, Alonzo was slightly taken aback by the crowd's enthusiasm, but he beamed, starting to go red in the face. "Uh...thank you…" he said as they continued. Andrina joined Arista and Alonzo and said, "Alonzo, Ariel's looking for you." Sure enough, in a backroom, Ariel was quickly recognizable in the doorway with her wildly red hair and carribean blue eyes. Quickly, Alonzo rushed to the back to greet his sister.

"You were fantastic!" she exclaimed, further ruffling his already untidy hair. "Thanks sis. It feels nice to finally get away from all those crowds." he said, cracking a few bones after sitting still for so long. Outside, they could hear Arista start to shout "FIRST TAPESTRY GOES FOR SIXTY DRACMA!" followed by a loud roar of the undisbursed crowd as Ariel closed the door.

Alonzo frowned. "I don't see why they have to make a big deal about selling tapestries. Heck, I didn't even come up with the idea. And our mother is Athena. Why would we need the money if our mother is Athena?" Allana, sitting in the corner, looked up from a book she was reading and smirked. "If you want someone to complain to, I think that'll be Arachne. She's the one who got into making your talent into a profit." No sooner than she said that, Arachne came into the room, looking dazzling in her flowing golden dress. She was fixing her long black hair into a complicated array of braids, almond-shaped black eyes fixated and determined. An expression she wore often. "You wanted to see me?" she asked in her smooth, flowing voice.

"Arachne, do we absolutely have to make my weaving such a big deal?" asked Alonzo. "I mean, it's a nice thing and all, but I'm starting to wonder if we've maybe gone a little too far. It's not like I'm famous or something." Arachne gave this a thought for a moment, before brushing it off. "In my opinion, we're doing fine. This is a perfect opportunity for us." she stated.

"To do what, get noticed?" asked Adella from the back of the room where she was putting away a large pile of tapestries that had been woven earlier on by her brother. "We're one family in Greece out of thousands. And there are more myths being written every day. To the world, we'll just be another story. Frankly, I'm fine with that." Alonzo nodded. "Me too." Arachne shook her head. "Alonzo, you're better than that. You're better than anyone who will try to define you. Remember everything I've taught you?"

"Um, I think you're being a little controlling, Arachne." said Alonzo. Aquata, who had been listening in the back with Adella, stood. "People can get in real trouble for saying things like that. Like everyone who's ever tried to challenge the gods. We definitely don't need that on our shoulders." At her siblings sudden defiance of her ideas, Arachne glared. "Alonzo, I don't want it to be like the days we spent with Father, that's why we got out of there while we could!"

"Of course, I know that! I was seven, I remember it all! But things are different now." Alonzo walked up to Arachne, desperate. "Father is gone. He's not gonna come back for us, after all...he was happy to be rid of us."

"But what if he does came back?! What if it's back to the days where I have to see you being pushed around again! Trust me, by the time I'm done, you'll be more powerful than anyone!" Suddenly, she got a look, a nasty glint, in her eye. One that only meant she was getting a nasty idea. "And I can prove it." With that, she walked over to the door and made her way out. "I don't like where this is going." Allana said immediately. The six siblings rushed to the doorway, cramming around it to watch Arachne walk out in front of the crowd, where Andrina and Arista were giving out the very last tapestry, which had gone at a ridiculously high price.

"Wasn't that awesome?!" asked Arachne. The crowd cheered in response. "Well, you can thank my brother for that. He's incredible, am I right?" More cheering.

"She's egging them on." Whispered Ariel to her siblings. "She's gonna say something stupid, then we're in trouble. I know it." Meanwhile, Arachne was continuing her spiel. Attina, who had been standing by the front door, walked over to her siblings.

"What's Arachne going on about?" she asked.

"Nothing good." Alonzo answered.

"Why, my brother could be so talented, he could beat anyone in a contest!" said Arachne.

"No...anything but that!…" whispered Alonzo. "Why can't she gloat about something else?!"

"Because apparently your her pride and joy." Aquata answered.

"I don't want to be her pride and joy, she's got other, more important things to worry about than me!" Alonzo snapped back.

"Well, it looks like the crowd's being won over. There's no stopping her now." said Adella.

Attina immediately glared at her younger sister's antics. "Not if I have anything to say about it." She marched over to Arachne and tapped her on the shoulder. "What do you think you're doing?" she asked.

"Making sure that these people realize Alonzo's place in all this. He's important!" she argued. "He doesn't have to be important to absolutely everybody! Stop rubbing it in everyone's faces!" Attina said. She took her younger sister's hand and started leading her away. "No!" Arachne said, pulling away from Attina. "They need to know!"

At this point, all of the sisters, besides Attina and Arachne, had gone to join their brother. "What's gotten into Arachne?" asked Andrina. "Nothing good!" all of the siblings repeated. Meanwhile, Arachne was continuing, despite Attina's efforts to pull her away. This wasn't good, and even the crowd was beginning to realize that something was amiss. If Arachne said something stupid, that was it. They'd have to pay the price.

"Well, if you don't believe me, I'll make sure you do!" said Arachne, noticing how the crowd was starting to inch towards the exit. Using the powers she inherited from her mother, the door slammed shut, trapping everyone inside the tiny room. "Alonzo is so great, he could challenge... _ **Hera herself!**_ "

You could hear a pin drop. Attina froze. Arachne smirked. Alonzo felt himself start to sink towards the floor, his legs like jelly, while his sisters had covered their mouths in shock. Everyone besides Arachne had gone pale. She had said the unthinkable.

Then the real nightmare started.

"Excuse me Miss...what do you mean by challenging Hera herself?"

Arachne looked down to see a small, frail looking elderly lady standing at the front row of the crowd. Everyone else in the room looked a little confused. They hadn't seen her before...at least, they didn't remember it.

Even Arachne was slightly confused, but she didn't waste the opportunity to keep going further, before anyone could stop her. "We all know Hera can't weave to save her life, right?" The crowd gasped in horror. "I thought so. So, she would definitely loose to him! End of story!" she exclaimed, delighted at the terror she was bringing onto the crowd.

"This is crazy! Someone go stop her!" Arista whispered, panicked. "No." Ariel said back. "Adella's right. She's gone to far now to come back." Aquata was clinging to Allana, nervous and shaking. "Why would she even say Hera?! She has no weaving experience!" she said. Allana looked terrified, even as she said this.

"Because Hera has the highest power out of any Goddess. Of course, she's underneath the Big Three in skill, and she knows it, but still...she _hates_ being provoked. And she'll give out the worst punishments to anyone who would seemingly stand in her way, or threaten her power. Arachne is challenging her to something she would win in a landslide. Weaving experience or not. Alonzo is in real danger now." __

Alonzo was practically on the floor, numb with disbelief. How? How could Arachne have done that? Set him up for certain doom in which there was no escape? As his sisters voices swirled around him, he felt more and more in peril with each passing second. Almost as if he could feel Hera's presence, boiling over in anger as Arachne jeered at her own power compared to his. No wonder their mother had warned him and his sisters to leave Hera alone, and not get in her way.

There was no stopping Hera or Arachne now. And there was no saving him now either.

The old lady in the front was the only one not phased by the young demi-god's claims, but she had a strange look on her face. "Dear, listen to me. It's nice that you care for your brother, I can tell, but you've heavily disrespected Hera. I would take it back if I were you. You might avoid a very messy situation…"

"That's it!" shouted Arachne. She pointed to the door. "Leave at once! And don't you dare think about coming back! If Hera was such an amazing queen, she could come to challenge Alonzo right now if she wanted to!"

"Arachne, no!" Attina screamed.

But it was too late. As the siblings shouted in protest, a glow filled the room, causing everyone to duck for cover. And when the light died down, a tall, dark eyed woman with a dress shimmering in different colors when the light hit it, was standing with a furious expression. Hera, Queen of The Gods.

Hera paid no attention to the crowd groveling at her feet. She focused her attention on the teenaged boy attempting to scramble into a back room with his elder sisters. Instantly, she snatched him by the front of his indigo cloak and brought him up to her height. He was very small, and couldn't have been more than fifteen or sixteen. The boy was whimpering, and straining to hold his face a ways back from hers. When his eyes met hers, she could see pure fear. His elder sisters, even the gloater, were all crowding around, screaming at her and trying to pull their brother down, causing more strain on the boy.

She remembered seeing him in Olympus. Always trailing after his mother, or sisters, whichever had been around at the moment. Being the only male in the family made him stand out, and everyone enjoyed his company. She had heard from almost everyone on Olympus about how compassionate he was. Well, everyone except for Aphrodite, who had been pranked by him and his sisters after they had owls roost in her room, which Hera guessed was a good thing, because none of the other goddess liked Aphrodite and thought she deserved it.

But even she had heard snippets of this boy's talent from other people. At the thought that someone could be even more powerful than her...even at something she couldn't do. That only made it worse for whoever was attempting to challenge her. Hera looked around at his works...and she even admitted, silently to herself, that his sister, that Arachne girl, might have been right. She would have to play it cool when dealing with this. But one thing was for certain.

"So...this is the great weaver I've heard so much about." she said. Alonzo moaned, his eyes begging for her to release him. "Well then…" she started, before pushing him down so forcefully that he stumbled backwards and tripped over the stool sitting next to the loom. "Challenge accepted." she hissed, eager to face off against her rival. _  
_  
Before another action could be done, or Alonzo's sisters could rush to their brother's side, a second glaring light filled the room. In seconds, another tall woman, this time with flowing blond hair and stormy gray eyes, had gathered up a shaking Alonzo in one arm, and pointed a freshly sharpened spear at Hera with the other.

"I would think twice before causing damage to my children if I were you." Athena spat. Alonzo threw his arms around her neck and clung to her like he was a child again. Great. Hera despised her stepdaughter, and now she was spoiling her fun. Well, it made sense. He was Athena's child after all.

Scoffing, Hera turned back to the crowd. "Listen up. No one in this room leaves until we settle a winner. We weave until midnight, and put in our all. Then we retire until morning. The winner will receive bragging rights...but just so you know...even if I win...I might not be so kind...so watch your back, and don't try anything. The contest will commence in two hours. **Don't keep me waiting**." And after one last flare of light, she was gone.

Once Hera was gone, Athena took the opportunity to use a dirty greek curse, and summoned her children into the back room. When they were away from the crowd's view, Attina immediately grabbed Arachne's shoulders and began shaking her back and forth, shouting, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?! ARE YOU CRAZY?!" This quickly caught on, until Arachne was being pushed and pulled around by all eight of her elder sisters.

"That is enough! Let her go!" shouted Athena. Her sisters immediately stopped, but Athena glared sternly at her daughter. "However, they are right. Do you have any idea what you've done, Arachne?" She walked in front of her children and turned to them, to make sure that they all could see her.

"My stepmother may have no experience in weaving, whatsoever. But she will stop at nothing to make sure she does better! Alonzo is still in great danger, no matter how this event will play out. You know she does not tolerate being provoked, and that's exactly what you've done! My daughter, have you forgotten everything I've taught you over the years?!"

"It was Hera's own fault that she decided to accept the challenge!" Arachne yelled. "I was just trying to prove-"

"She was bragging about Alonzo's talents." Ariel said. The red-headed girl looked livid. "That's what you were doing. That, and being a total fool."

Athena facepalmed. Sometimes she felt that she had absolutely no control over her daughters. "Of course, Ariel. I already knew that...well, we all heard Hera. We have two hours to prepare." Alonzo whimpered at the thought of going up against someone as strong and powerful as Hera.

"Mother...you're not really gonna make him go through with it? Are you?!" asked Annabeth, pulling her brother into an embrace.

Athena solemnly nodded in response. "Hera's threats are always taken seriously. We'll go through with the challenge, and pray that nothing happens afterwards. However...whatever happens...promise me, that we'll get through it together. Understand?"

The sisters looked uncertainly at one another, but nodded firmly at their beloved mother's request. Even Alonzo followed their example. "Don't worry, mother." he said quietly. When Athena turned to him, he smiled softly. "I'll be okay."

In the corner, Arachne was trying to figure out how everything had gone so wrong. How could they defy her all of a sudden? Everything had been going so well up until then! Still, it wasn't Alonzo's fault...it must have been Hera! Of course she decided to be greedy with her power and accept. Arachne had to send her some kind of message to stay off their case so Alonzo could win…

And for the second time that day, Arachne got a catastrophic idea. One that might ultimately seal poor Alonzo's fate, forever.

Ten hours later, midnight struck. Goddess and Demi-god wove for eight hours straight, and Alonzo was so exhausted, he hadn't even noticed all of the horrible blisters and calluses that had appeared on his small, dainty fingers and palms. That would definitely hurt in the morning when they awoke to announce the winner.

Despite everyone being so tired from the event that they were literally walking straight into walls, Arachne was wide awake. Her plan had to succeed! It just had to!

Once everyone was in a deep sleep, Arachne snuck from the room that her mother and siblings were occupying. She dodged around snoring members from the crowd, who were crammed into a space on the floor. Like Hera said, no one was to leave until the champion had been declared.

She made her way up to the front, where there was a small, cleared space for the two tapestries. No one in the crowd had even dared to touch them, fearing a botched result. Kind of pointless, considering what Arachne was about to do. Alonzo may have been the most talented at weaving, but it didn't mean Arachne and her sisters couldn't weave at all. She would just have to match her brothers talents for, maybe an hour, and his win would be official. Plus, Hera will be let off with a little warning about messing with her brother...

Arachne took a minute to study the two pieces of art. Even in this state, Alonzo's was going to win in a landslide. Not even Hera would be able to deny this one away. Pity that no one would actually get to see Alonzo's real work. Or Hera's, for that matter.

With that, Arachne sat at the stool and got to work, slowly going over areas that needed a touch up in her opinion.

Little did she know, this would be the dirtiest deed she would ever commit…

The next morning, despite being so tired, everyone woke early. A curtain was dividing the view of the tapestries from the audience, so no one would see early. Hera arrived about thirty minutes later. Alonzo stood next to his mother on the opposite side of the room, his sisters gathered behind them. "Alright!" shouted Hera upon her entrance. "We've both worked hard and long. Now, let's see who has excelled in weaving." She grabbed the curtain, and prepared to tear it down.

Alonzo's heart thundered in his chest. This was it. The moment that would put an end to all this madness...or secure it's steady run forever. Whichever way it went, either he was better, or not good enough, Hera would leave a devastating impact. Alonzo was mentally preparing himself for the worst, as his sisters whispered behind him, that he may have a chance of winning, or it would be a tie, or maybe Hera would even change her mind and leave them alone. Alonzo didn't care. He just wanted all of this to be over with and done…

His heart sank when he heard the crowd gasp in horror. He hadn't won after all…

Then Hera's screech of rage made them all jump in shock. He heard his sisters shriek behind him, and even his mother dropped her spear in surprise. Dreading what he was about to see, Alonzo rushed forwards to see the two tapestries-

And stopped dead in his tracks. He could feel his blood run an icy cold.

His own tapestry, had been woven over with insults of the worst kind, all directed at Hera! And her own work, which was less than two feet away from his, would have been beautiful- if it hadn't been slashed and torn to shredded bits. Not only that, from what remained of her hard work, it was pretty clear that she wouldn't have won to begin with.

Someone had sabotaged Hera. Someone had ruined both of their works in order to make sure he won. It was unfair for both contenders. And it looked as if he had been framed.

Alonzo looked around the room in shock, his eyes pleading for everyone to see that he wasn't the culprit, until his eyes rested on one figure standing directly at the front, her eyes shining with pride from her latest victory. Arachne. Alonzo was so shocked that he could barely breathe. What had she done?!

"You...you!..." before Alonzo could become angry however, he screamed when someone yanked him off the ground from behind, and he found himself face to face with Hera, more furious than he had ever seen her in his life! "HOW DARE YOU?!" she roared. "It wasn't me! I swear!" he shouted desperately, but she was beyond listening to him now. He felt himself slam to the floor, knocking the wind out of him, and as he struggled for breath, he could see her shadow raising the butt of her spear over her head-

"Stop!" he managed to weeze out, before he was hit on the head so hard, that he almost lost consciousness. This happened twice more, fast, and by the time she was done, he was a wreck, begging for her to make it end and sobbing. "MOTHER!" he shrieked as soon as she turned away. Athena pushed Hera to the side and gathered her son into her arms, just as Hera got to work on the other, untouched tapestry. In seconds, it joined Hera's on the floor, nothing more than ripped ribbons of fabric.

Athena's daughters were enraged, even Arachne. They were pulling Hera's loom to pieces in an attempt to arm themselves, but Hera's power mixed with her temper would be no match for their splintered pieces of wood. It was hopeless. As all this unfolded, the crowd was making a mad dash for the door in an attempt to escape the Goddess. The scene was getting ugly, and things were looking grim for the talented weaver.

Before another act could be made, Athena's precious son, broken and in pain, had been snatched from her arms once more. "Now you pay for your insults!" Hera bellowed to the air, for everyone to hear. In a flash of light, she and Alonzo were both gone.

Athena let out a cry as her own rage began to blaze forth. She picked up her spear, summoned her shield, and turned to her daughters, who were standing there looking pathetical and horrified at the disappearance of their brother, with remains of Hera's destroyed loom in their hands. "My daughters! Arm yourselves, then follow me! We must find Alonzo before Hera can damage him any further!" The girls instantly ran to the back room to retrieve their weapons, weeping and praying silently to themselves to keep Alonzo safe, and most importantly, alive.

As her youngest daughter ran by, Athena seized her by the arm. Arachne gasped in surprise as she came face to face with her mother, and Athena saw an expression on her face that she hadn't worn in years. Shame. "Mother…" Arachne started, but Athena held up her other hand to silence her. "I hope you've learned your lesson, Arachne." she whispered. "I expected better from you of all people." As she let go, Arachne ran to get her weapons without looking back at Athena.

Once the weapons were gathered, alarms were raised on Olympus. The invited crowds had long since left, so they wouldn't have to worry about their safety at the moment. Knowing that the mad queen was on the loose, the other Olympians were taking extreme caution. Even Zeus, hearing what his wife had done to his grandson, had joined the chase.

"I have everyone on the lookout my daughter, not just the guards." said Zeus as he comforted poor Athena. Her daughters had hastily explained what had happened to him when he had come to join their search. Arachne had taken an interest in looking like she was occupied in searching, so she could avoid the gazes of her sisters. "Hermes, Apollo, and Artemis have taken troops to the sky to keep watch from above while everyone else is combing the woods, the gardens, the palace grounds… we'll do everything we can for your son. I am so sorry this happened."

"You don't have to apologize father. It was stepmother's idea." Athena said, smiling weakly.

The search went on for hours. The morning wore on, and the search for the young Demi-god was quickly becoming one of the most recorded events in history on Olympus. No rock was being unturned. Athena's nine daughters had split up, three taking the palace, three taking the gardens, and three taking the woods with their mother. Arachne was one of the girls who was with her mother, along with Arista and Allana. Both kept asking her, "Why would you do it?", but now the once prideful girl was silent.

Morning turned into afternoon, and everyone on the grounds of Olympus was a wreck. They were hot and sweaty, and Aphrodite dropped out of the search saying she was too tired. Ares, being stubborn, joined her. Now Alonzo's family was getting desperate. If he was gone for this long, something horrible had surely happened. By the time the sun was setting, word was spreading out to the mainland, and normal humans were beginning to join in.

By nightfall, it had turned into a full-fledged manhunt for the queen and the child. Satyrs and nymphs were flooding the woods and waters, humans were combing the lands, and the Gods had been on high alert for hours. It seemed as if the whole world had felt Athena's fear and pain. There would be no rest until Alonzo was found, dead or alive, and the queen brought before her fellow Gods and Goddesses to have a proper punishment inflicted. Alonzo's sisters and mother were desperately hoping that the latter of 'dead or alive', was true, and he would be brought home with his heart still beating.

A second midnight passed. Everyone was hardly able to function, but somehow, they did. Hours wore on. Humans, Gods, everyone, trudged through the woods in an endless search, or re-checked places they had been through countless amounts of times. However, about an hour before sunrise, a hunter of Artemis reported to the Olympians that Hera had been seen fleeing, planning to go far from Olympus. Alonzo was not with her, and they feared the worse had come to pass.

For almost an hour, as dawn was breaking, a mad chase ensued. Hera had realized they were on to her, and made another run for it, taking them to countless roadblocks and forks to try and throw them off her trails. The hunters of Artemis sent wolves and falcons to follow her, and Athena sent countless owls. Eventually, Hera was caught by Ares, who had rejoined the hunt after he had heard they were going to give a chase.

When Hera was marched before the mob, cheers rang to the sky, where streaks of pink and orange were breaking on the horizon. Zeus, Athena, and her daughters were in front of the crowd. When she saw Hera, Athena signaled for her daughters to fall back, then slowly walked up to her stepmother, and hissed in a low voice, gray eyes clouding over like a storm, "Where...is... **he?...** " It was now that Hera realized she was out of options, and couldn't run any longer. "Your temple. I left him in the fountain. He should be done for by now." Frightened by her words, they ran for Athena's temple as fast as possible, mob and all. But when they got there, they were too late.

Alonzo's sisters let out cries of grief when they saw the limp figure floating in the water inside the huge fountain. As carefully as they could, they pulled him out so Apollo could examine the wounds. It wasn't looking good for the poor weaver. He had countless injuries, all four limbs broken, and a gut-wrenching injury to his stomach. His mother and sisters all sobbed and held him as tight as they could, while Zeus and the other Gods looked on with worry. Hera had been chained to a tree outside, to ensure that she would fail at escaping.

Finally, Apollo shook his head. "I don't know what to do for him, Athena. He's incredibly close to death. I'm so sorry." While Alonzo's sisters wailed, Athena pounded her fist into the floor. "There has to be another way! We have to save him!" Zeus looked somber, thinking he was going to lose his grandson. "Athena, darling…" he started, but Athena hissed. "No! I won't let him go!" She buried her face into her only son's chest and bawled in despair, knowing deep down, in the end, there would be nothing anyone can do for him.

Suddenly, Athena felt Alonzo being gently pulled from her grasp, by someone sitting opposite of her. She watched stunned as Arachne cradled her brother in her arms, holding him close, as if to shield him from any harm. He was becoming way too pale, and Arachne knew she had to act fast. She placed her hand over his chest, and spoke in Greek, her words slow and quiet. Then, as everyone sat dumbfounded, a small golden glow engulfed Alonzo's body, and they could see his from beginning to change shape.

The whole temple was illuminated as the change took place, the occupants of the room standing in a circle around the family, who were kneeling on the ground around the two youngest members. All eyes were on the young girl as she did the unthinkable. She was saving her brother...by transforming him. This was her act of redemption. Yet one could see in her eyes she harbored the deepest remorse than anyone before her had ever experienced.

"Alonzo," she said in English again, tears streaming down her cheeks as her voice began to break. "You never deserved this. I was the one who should be undergoing a transformation. Not you." Gold began appearing in her eyes, around the edges of her irises, separating white and black. "The creature you will become with be known to the world as the Arachnid, as symbol that I deserved your fate. Your story will be told for generations to come." As the light died at last, the gathered crowd gasped in horror as they saw a horrid creature in Alonzo's place, with jet-black skin, and too many limbs. They watched in horror as Arachne finished, just in time for huge, bulbous amber eyes to open. Eight of them.

"And you shall still weave... _forever_ … as..."

 **Present Day, New York City.  
** "A Spider." I quietly finished.

My siblings seemed frozen in shock. They had never, ever, heard something quite like that. Estelle and Tyson had tears running down their own cheeks, and even my older brothers looked misty-eyed. I hadn't realized I was crying too until my hand instinctively reached up to brush away tears. No wonder this was my favorite story. The shear beauty always choked me up. I remember crying the first few times as a read it, when I was little. I still cry, even today.

Still, I had to keep going. "Athena then hid all ten of her children, far away from Olympus, because they wouldn't be safe around Hera anymore. They were never seen again, and only a few people, like the remaining Olympians besides Hera, knew where they were. Athena often went back and forth between her home, and her children's locations. The children all because immortal, and never left Alonzo, who also continues to weave, but only webs. To this day, spiders continue to weave webs out of silk, just like Arachne said. And...that's the end."

"Just like that?" asked Percy. "That seems a little abrupt, right?" He was right. I hadn't realized it until now.

"Well, of course, no one saw them again besides a few people, remember?" I said. "So, no one would know where they were or what they were doing. It only makes sense."

Estelle hopped off of her bed and went over to the window, gazing out at the city skyline that we all spent a fair amount of time looking out upon with wonder. "What if they're still out there?" she asked. "Will anyone ever find them again?"

My brothers all began to laugh. "Like that'll ever happen." said Eric jokingly. "Eric, don't spoil her fun." I said. "She's four after all." Peter nodded. "Yeah. And four year olds should be getting to bed, or their mothers will come home extremely angry…" he said, trailing off and eyeing Estelle. She immediately hopped back onto her bed and pretended to start snoring.

Tyson ran over to Percy and said, "I want to go to bed now." Once again, we all began to laugh at the younger two's antics. "Wish granted." said Percy, taking Tyson's hand and leading him out of the room. Just before they left, he turned around and smiled. "Goodnight Violet." I smiled back. "Night."

Peter yawned. "I say we get to bed, too. Night girls." Eric quickly followed, hastily saying goodnight before leaving. I shook my head and smiled sadly to myself. "Boys. When will they ever learn?" Slowly, I got up and crossed the room to my own bed, realizing how tired I really was. The clock said it was way past eleven, and I needed sleep. There was that big field trip tomorrow, and I had to be ready to meet one of my idols...well, that was actually alive and existing. My idol was actually...Alonzo, but we'll get to that later. Still, tomorrow was pretty important.

Gentally, I laid my head down on the fluffy pillow, and pretty soon, I was fast asleep.

Little did I know that the next day, my life would change forever…

 **A/N.  
Okay...I think I'm off to a good start.**

 **Sadly, the whole myths thing doesn't show up again until chapter three. Well, at least not in disguise. You'll see what that means later.**

 **Anyways, next chapter will be a bit of an introduction to Violet, and everything she's had to endure, and a mysterious lab accident that will change the course of history. Also joining us is Violet's spunky best friend Monique-is she all that she seems?**

 **Also, for the purpose of this story, I have changed one of the character's race. Arachne, like in the Broadway opening of Spider-Man, was Asian American, so I will be keeping that. But I decided to bring some more diversity to it, just to keep it fresh. When the little mermaid opened on Broadway, two of the girls, plus King Triton, were African American. So, I decided to do that this time around too. After some decision making, I settled on Attina, the eldest (the one in orange). I feel like it would bring a much more diversity into the story. The world is constantly becoming more inclusive, and Attina will still be the same, white or black. It doesn't matter either way. I asked my mother about this before publishing this story, and she said go for it. So I believe I'm doing the right thing. If anyone has any questions about this, you can leave it in the comments (please keep it appropriate though).**

 **Anyways, that's just about it! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, and once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Stay tuned! ;)**


	2. A Spider Awakens

**A/N.  
Oh my goodness! Thank you everyone so much for seeing this story and leaving kind reviews. I have spent a lot of time on this story, so I'm glad to see that people are getting interested. And it only get's better from here! Also, sorry for taking so long to update...I'm kinda on vacation right now ( It's awesome!).**

 **That's actually all I have for now until the next authors note! Once you're done reading this chapter, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Enjoy! ;)**

Chapter Two: A Spider Awakens.

' _Don't talk...just walk…'  
_ **  
**The words are repeating in my head like a mantra. It's the standard for me. I'm good at pretending the giggles and stares doesn't bother me. Good at falling deaf to the whispers of " _Geek!"_ and " _Nerd!"_ and crueler things. Good at hiding my plight. It's not like there's any use in going to any teachers or staff for the bullying. These are the kinds of adults who would ignore something like that.

I've known my differences from my peers since I was small. While other girls would play with dolls and want to paint their nails, I would stay up late to watch my father Payton teach me about seventh grade level science. I excelled at many subjects at school, and was at the top of my class. Unfortunately, not everyone shared the enthusiasm about my being smart. Name calling and bullying sparked up, and got worse over time.

I felt as if the only person I could go to was my own father. He told me he went through similar experiences as a child. It was nice that I had someone to relate to. I always felt closest to my father. Of course, I loved my mother, but she was always working to support us. My father was the one who would cut out time to help with homework or give advice. Until the day three years ago when I was only eleven, one year after Estelle's birth. He went to visit some distant relatives. His plane crashed...and he was gone.

I was alone again.

Just like that, Mom was almost entirely immersed in her work, so I felt as if I lost her too. My brother Peter, the oldest of us, took matters into his own hands, and he went searching for work. Much to my shock, he found it in the form of Norman Osborne.

Norman Osborne is a renowned scientist, one of my heros, besides my dad and Alonzo from the myths. Peter is one of his assistants, along with his girlfriend, who I actually haven't met yet. I was beside myself with excitement, especially when I found out about the very special field trip we were taking to his lab. The funny thing is, the trip is actually today. But I wanted some peace and quiet before going. That's why I'm in the girls room right now, pondering. It's better than being in the hallways, prey to anyone who decides they've got a bone to pick with me for being the way I am.

Sometimes I wonder why my DNA chose for me to be smart. Technically, I could have been anything. Ended up as anyone. Right now, I just don't feel like the right person. And I've been trying to think of any way I could improve myself. Being more active, participating socially. And boy, what I would do to get rid of my stupid glasses! They always get in the way!

"I knew I would find you here. You're excited for the trip, right?"

I turned to see that the one other person that seems to understand me. Monique. You can pick her out of a crowd within ten seconds. Her long, red hair cascaded down her shoulders and back, her blue eyes were like looking into oceans, and everything about her had the definition "bubbly and bouncy" written all over them. She also always wore her favorite color, green, which made it even easier to notice her. Seriously, no matter the occasion, time of day, anything, she will be wearing green.

"Of course I'm excited for the trip, it's Norman Osborne for crying out loud! I just… needed some space." I said. She gave me one of her infectious smiles, which I noticed had a hint of sympathy in it this time. "That's ok. Sometimes people just need a break from the world. That happens to me and my family all the time. I don't judge."

Monique has told me she has a few family issues where she lives, but they're all very private about it. I am meeting one of her siblings today though. Her older sister Mary Jane works, coincidentally, at Norman Osborne's lab! We both have older siblings that work there, and we're going on a field trip there today. It was insanely cool.

"Vi, are those dummies giving you a problem again? You know you can come to me." she said. True, I knew to go to her. It was hard for me though. "I get it. For once, I want to see those guys get what they deserve. We're both tired and sick of them being the harassing jerks they are. But you know you're safe around me. I'm stronger than I look." She walked up and put an arm around my shoulder. "Plus, you'll have Peter there with you on the trip. He won't let anything happen to any baby sister of his."

"Okay, okay, I get it!" I said, laughing. "Thanks Monique. That's just what I wanted to hear."

After a twenty minute bus ride of trying to drown out the other, much-louder students, we arrived. Suddenly, I felt like I couldn't breathe. I was just too nervous! Here I was, about to meet Norman Osborne! Monique looked over, and I must have gone really pale, because she told me, "If you're going to faint, give me a heads up first." Soon we were both laughing, with everyone else looking at us as if we were crazy.

The second we walked inside, I realize how far off my expectations were of the place. We had walked out onto one of many large intertwining catwalks, high above the rest of the room, and we looked down on countless stations with chemicals, glass tubes and bottles, large machinery, and countless other wonders that would take days to describe. Below, the employees scurried around in silver lab coats, immersed in their work.

Even the most unobservant students took a few seconds out of their time to gaze in wonder. We had been spellbound. "Isn't this gorgeous?" I whispered to Monique at we stopped to look around some more. "Um, I think the definition I was looking for is creepy, but you're right, it's very beautiful." she answered. I frowned. When we entered, something had been up with her. I just couldn't figure it out.

We then made our way to a flimsy-looking staircase that wouldn't look out of place on a fire escape. As we made our way down, a figure with tight black ringlets and a pink headband came running up shouting "Monique! Monique, you're here!"

"Mary Jane!" Monique squealed. She practically bounced down the staircase, and soon, the two of them were in a tight embrace. "Hi, little sis!" Mary Jane said. Monique turned back to me. "Violet, meet my sister, Mary Jane."

I was a little bit taken by surprise, since the sisters looked so different from each other. Monique of course had the same red mane and blue eyes I mentioned earlier, but Mary Jane had large black ringlets pulled back by bobbie pins and held in place by a large pink headband, and if I wasn't mistaken, her eyes seemed to be violet, with was pretty rare. Maybe one girl resembled their mother, while the other resembled their father?

"Oh, you're Violet? It's so nice to meet you, my family has heard so many wonderful things about you! Trust me, you guys are going to have an awesome time here. Just try to stay together and with an adult. It's easy to get lost in here." As she spoke, I could see her eyeing her sister. She must have been giving her a silent message to stay with her. Either that, or something else, I couldn't tell.

"Welcome, welcome everyone! Come on in, don't be shy!"

Without warning, my face blanched. It was the voice I had heard many times, on the radio, on T.V., even in my head as I read every single word he has ever written in a book, the one and only…

Norman Osborne.

There he was, in the flesh, with the usual warm smile on his face. I couldn't be more ecstatic, but panicked at the same time! He was here! I was going to try and blend in, not get noticed and attract attention. That would be embarrassing...

"Now which one of you lovely ladies is Violet Jackson?"

That time, I almost did faint. Thank my lucky stars Monique and Mary Jane were standing right behind me. He was looking for me! Me! Specifically me! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?!

My mind was racing so fast that I didn't even know who said "She's right here!", or who pulled me forwards before I could even dream of protesting. Suddenly, his warm smile was focused on me, tiny and pathetic, and he was shaking my hand. "Violet Jackson. What an honor. I've heard so much about you."

The words came spilling from my mouth before I could stop them. "I'VE READ EVERY BOOK YOU'VE EVER WRITTEN AND I'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO MEET YOU! IN THE SCIENCE WORLD, YOU ARE A _ROCKSTAR!_ "

A few seconds...then he grinned, and pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket. "You hear that, Emily? I'm a _rockstar!_ " he said, putting them on in slow motion. Several people around me giggled. "Norman, you're so ridiculous sometimes." said a woman with short brown hair and another silver lab coat standing nearby. She must have been his wife.

"You're work on genetics is incredible." I said. "To think, you could find a way to adapt to climate change, or natural disasters. You could even find a cure for cancer if you worked hard enough!" Norman was practically beaming as he turned. "Emily, meet the future!" he said with pride, gesturing to me. Emily extended her hand for me to shake. "It's an honor for me as well. Peter has been talking nonstop about how smart you are!"

"Peter? Where is he?" I asked. "What do you mean? I'm right here!" a voice said behind me. "Peter!" I said, turning and throwing my arms around my older brother's chest. "Hey little sis." he said. "I was looking for a scientist named Mary Jane, have you seen her?" When I pointed to the back, he walked right up to her and kissed her! "Well, hello sweetheart!" he said dreamily. "Monique, this is Peter, my boyfriend." Mary Jane told Monique. We barely even heard her, because we were too busy shrieking excitedly. To think, her sister, with my brother!

For about the next twenty minutes, it was bliss. Monique and I walked at Mary Jane and Peter's side, drinking in every new presentation of chemicals, technology, and more. Our eyes were lit up like we were little kids on sugar rush (it really reminded me of Estelle when she's had any sugar whatsoever). Norman and Emily explained just about everything we came across. It was all amazing, and I never wanted it too end.

Especially if I had known how it would abruptly end in a matter of minutes…

Norman and I were locked in a conversation about one of his books, called D.I.Y World. It explained everything about genetic mutation vs. evolution. It was my favorite besides the Greek Myths. "What does D.I.Y. mean?" asked a girl in the back. "Do It Yourself." said Norman. "We've got to get under the hood and tinker right now." He turned to all of us and held out his arms to all of his inventions and work. "Life is yours. So seize it. Why be human, when you could be better?" Next to him, Mary Jane began to whisper something into Monique's ear.

"As a matter in fact, we're nearing some of our best works so far. Genetically advanced spiders. Three years of work has gone into them and we've tweaked their DNA to function like we need. None of you get too close, because if they were to as much as touch you, it would be-"

"NORMAN!" Emily rushed up to us, pale and sweating. Before he could even ask her what was wrong, she pointed in the direction we were heading, and said something that made everyone's blood turn to ice.

"A female spider. She's missing!"

While everyone erupted into panic around me, I just barely felt something sharp dig into my shoulder.

And when I turned to look at my shoulder, a tarantula-sized spider was the sight I was met by.

Suddenly, my whole world was plunged into chaos. I screamed, a long, loud scream, as the spider disappeared into the ceiling on a long thread of silk. I felt sick, and everyone jumped out of the way when my breakfast suddenly made a reappearance. Then I ran. I just ran. I could barely even think straight.

I'm pretty sure I ended up in a back alley. Alarms began going off in the building, and I could see students and teachers rushing out of the building from where I was standing. Oh well. It's not like they would be flocking to my rescue anyways.

I could feel the poison working it's way through my body like acid, leaving me breathless and sweating on the ground, panting for air. I'm pretty sure I was flopping around like a fish out of water, begging for life. Why? Why was it me? It could have been anyone in there, why was it me? The pain was unbearable, I wanted to scream, I couldn't find my voice, what was happening to my mind?! Everything was happening too fast! HELP! HELP ME!

"Pull her up!"

Suddenly, I was being pulled up by my shoulders. I moaned in pain as one of the sets of hands clamped down on the bite. "Oh, I'm so sorry Violet! It's okay...you're okay, help is on the way..." My brain was so ready to stop functioning at that certain point, I almost completely ignored her. Somehow, I shrugged in response. It was a instinctive reaction, like I was with someone I trusted...wait a minute…

"Monique?..." I mumbled under my breath. No answer, though I could tell by the way they were so quiet that I was right. It must have been Monique, and Mary Jane, and...a third person had just taken me out of their hands from behind me. But something didn't feel right.

And before I could figure out what was wrong, my world went black.

 **A/N.  
Once again, I apologize for the long wait. I've had so much work to do.**

 **But still...AHHHHHHHHHHHH!THE NEXT CHAPTER IS MY FAVORITE ONE!**

 **Seriously, I've had a vision for this story for months now, and this next chapter is my favorite part of the story so far! It's so exciting to finally get to write the moment I've been waiting for! And what is the moment I've been waiting for...the reveal of what happened to Alonzo, and, what he looks like after Arachne's spell.**.. **and that's all I can say for now. Sorry! I'm just too excited!**

 **Anyways, that's it for now! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Stay Tuned! ;)**


	3. Into The Web, Part One

**A/N.  
Hi! I'm back!**

 **I know, that was really quick, but I couldn't resist! THIS CHAPTER IS MY FAVORITE ONE!...and don't worry, that'll be the last time I say that, because one, I'm getting tired of saying it over and over again, and two, I say we actually get to the chapter.**

 **Also, this chapter would have been longer, but I decided that it was getting a little too long, and was forced to split it into two parts. The next part should be equally awesome!**

 **Once again, thank you to everyone who's reviewed so far, you've all been so great. As for the latest review from AAwesomesauce...clever guess, good job! We're about to find out if it was correct…**

 **Before this chapter I want to give a warning: If anyone has a sensitive stomach, I have briefly (but in a lot of detail), described the appearance of the spider bite, and if you get sick easily, I recommend you skip over that one paragraph, then continue reading afterwards.**

 **Alright! Let's get to it, shall we?! Once you're done reading, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter Three: Into The Web, Part One.

Silk.

That was the first sensation I felt as I woke. I was draped in soft, smooth silk.

Above me, fuzzy voices were speaking quickly and loudly to each other in frustration. I tried opening my eyes, but when the light hit my vision, it immediately gave me a splitting headache. I squeezed my eyes shut again, trying to will away the pain, until I realized that wasn't the only place that hurt. My shoulder felt like it was on fire, blazing and burning away until I couldn't stand it anymore. Whoever was in the room with me, I had to get their attention. I moaned loudly, from both the agony in my shoulder, and for the attention I wanted badly. Where was I? Where was my family? I had to know.

"Guys! Shh!...she's waking up!" someone whispered above me. "Annabeth, move! I want to see her! Oh, she's so pretty!" I heard another voice say.

When I had the strength to open my eyes again, I realized with relief that the light had been blocked by the many figures standing in a circle above me.

One to my left was leaning down so she could get a better look at me. She had bleach blonde hair in a ponytail, icy blue eyes, and was wearing something red, from what I couldn't make out because my eyesight was still pretty poor. The girl she had seemed to push out of the way was also blonde, though it was braided and more golden than bleach color, and she had gray eyes (and an irritated expression).

On my right, two girls with brown hair in ponytails were watching me. One had teal eyes, the other had brown.

Near my feet, two more girls were standing. One had short blond hair in a bun, and hazel eyes. The other had dark skin, dark brown hair held up by an orange headband, and serious green eyes.

And by my head, leaning right over my face…

"Monique? Mary Jane?" I mumbled, thinking I was delusional. What on earth happened for me to end up like this?!

"Alright Violet, take it easy." said Mary Jane, but to be honest, I wasn't listening. I had rolled over on my stomach to take a good look at Monique, and just so I could make sure I wasn't delusional, I asked her, "What...are you _wearing_?"

My best friend blushed. "I only wear this at home. It's standard uniform." She joked. I could see why. It was a short-sleeved, floor length gown, that was her favorite shade of shamrock green, and shimmered slightly when the light hit it. Other than the strange outfit choice, nothing else had changed. Same caribbean blue eyes. Same flowing waterfall of red hair. Looking around, I noticed the other girls had the exact same gowns, just in a different color for each of them. Even Mary Jane, who's gown was a light shade of pink.

Then I noticed my surroundings and my breath caught in my throat.

The whole room was bathed in a shade of dark blue lighting, and the angles of the room were enormous. I couldn't see any actual walls, or ceiling, and when I looked over the edge, a sea of mist greeted me. It was like we were suspended over an abyss. I was resting on a large pile of silky blankets, one of which was still draped over me. But none of that was what I was really focused on. What I was really taking in were the webs. Huge, absolutely mammoth webs were hanging everywhere. I realized we were all standing on a large wooden platform, suspending from the air with webs. The silk was so thick, it could have been mistaken for shiny white rope.

Okay, this was getting too weird for me to handle.

"We can tell you have questions." said the dark-skinned girl, who was wearing an orange gown. "Don't worry, we'll answer them all, I promise." I was speechless, for a moment, but finally asked, "What is this place? What am I doing here? Who are all of you supposed to be?"

"That's a good question." said Monique, turning my attention to her. "Violet, welcome to our home...The Web. It's been our sanctuary for thousands of years."

Thousands? I had to hold back some sort of giggle. Maybe she was joking. I mean, she did these kinds of jokes often… then again, I was stuck suspended in... well, I still didn't know where I was yet.

"Um… is this a prank?" I asked, just to be sure.

All eight girls burst into laughter. "What did I say?" I asked, starting to stand, only to fall flat onto the blanket pile again because I was so woozy. They immediately rushed over again. "Violet, be careful! The venom hasn't worked its way out of your system yet!" said Mary Jane.

Venom?

The spider bite.

Before they could stop me, I tugged at my shirt sleeve so I could see my shoulder. At the sight, I nearly fainted again. There was a swollen, discolored lump on my shoulder. It looked like a mixture of purple and green, and it was smeared with dried blood. My dried blood! Instinctively, I was almost sick, before I realized there was nothing in my stomach left to throw up. It had all gone when I was bitten.

"How long was I out?" I all but whispered, probably pale from the sight I had seen. "Only a few hours." said Mary Jane. "We brought you here immediately after we found you. You need help… and we're the only people who can help you."

"But why?" I ask. "Can't I just go to a doctor? It's only a spider bite." The girls all sighed and looked at one another. I could see the looks on their faces. They're deciding something. And it only takes me a second to realize that they are deciding who gets to tell me something that they are hiding from me. "What's wrong?!" I asked, alarmed.

"It's not just a spider bite." said Mary Jane. "You realize that they've done numerous experiments on that spider, right? So, that means it would most likely end up containing something dangerous inside it. And I went back to get some information on it, and it contained… multiple radioactive substances."

This time, they literally had to stop me from flopping over backwards in a dead faint. My whole life was flashing before my eyes. It couldn't be over yet! I'm only fourteen!

"Hey, it's okay! You're gonna be okay!" said the girl with the blond braid, who was wearing a silver gown. "We will do everything we can to help. The reason we brought you here is because we're experts at spiders. We know how to handle this."

"Experts in spiders? You're only a group of teenagers!" I said. Roars of laughter came from every side. "What do you guys find funny about this?! Monique, what's going on?!" I was unbelievably confused. "I'm sorry Violet!" said Monique between fits of giggles. "I know you don't understand what's going on, but when we tell you, you'll get it."

"Alright then Ariel, why don't you just tell her?" said the girl in the orange gown.

Ariel?

Monique stopped laughing. "Wait, Attina, don't just call me- ugh, fine!" She turned to me, and said plainly, "We're much older than you think, Violet. Much older than anyone else living on this planet today, as a matter in fact. My sisters and I have spent all this time trying to blend in, seem like normal teenagers and young adults." I was in so much confusion, that the only word that came out of my mouth was, "Why?"

"Because we have a job to do. We've permanently frozen ourselves at this age to protect our youngest." said the girl in orange. No, Attina was her name.

Wait. Attina and Ariel. Did that mean?...

"No." I said. "No! Look, I don't know what you're trying to do, but I can see right through it! You guys are crazy, and I want to go home! This can't be real! It just can't! Please tell me it's not real, please!"

"You know the story." said Monique. "You told me you can recite it by heart. Nine sisters, the daughters of a powerful deity… and their brother, first blessed by his skill, then cursed, though innocent."

I had stopped shouting, but my heart couldn't stop racing. I didn't want to believe my friend...but suddenly, many things began to make sense. Like how secretive she's been about her family. Her rich knowledge of history. She even looks the same as the book's description of the seventh daughter! They all look the same! I had been reading this myth for years...and somehow, it's jumped from the pages and made its way into my reality.

"Ariel...you're Ariel." I said. "That's exactly right." she answered. She motions to Mary Jane, then the girl on orange. "This is Alaana, and Attina."

She then goes on to more introductions, and I am stunned into silence. The girl in red is Arista, who waves merrily. Aquata is in blue, and Adella is in yellow. Annabeth is the girl in silver, and Andrina is in purple. One is missing, I can clearly tell, but that might be a sensitive topic. Plus, there was only one question that I wanted to know the answer to.

"Okay...the myths are real." I stated, not even as a question. The girls all nodded. "And you are all the daughters of Athena." I said as well. This was greeted by more nods. "So, you're all real, and Athena is real...he's real too, isn't he?" They don't hesitate to nod a third time.

I sit back, trying to wrap my head around this. He's real. He's really alive, existing, not just in my childhood imagination. Somewhere nearby, is the first of the arachnids. My hero from the myths, and the innocent victim of a goddess's fury. The name I've been mystified by for so long…

"Alonzo's made a decision." I hear another, quieter voice say.

I look up to see a girl with a flowing golden dress, black almond eyes, and long black hair running down her shoulder in a single braid. She looks timid, and stays glued to the shadows. I don't say anything. I know who she is. Arachne. And she looks like she wants to be anywhere in the world but here.

"What did he say?" asked Adella. Arachne casts her eyes to the floor, and mutters so quietly that we can hardly hear her, "He and mother want to meet Violet."

For a third time in a row, I come dangerously close to blacking out. Alonzo wanted to meet me?! ME?!

Alaana turns to me. "Alonzo will know what to do about the bite after he gets the information that he needs from me. I'm the only one who can determine if it's dangerous… and it is, but it isn't. I'll explain everything when we're all together. About time too, he's been worried sick since we brought you in." I try not to squeal in excitement when she says that. Worried sick about me?!

Arachne takes that opportunity to bolt into the mist where she came from. Attina frowns at this, but sighes. "She always takes off. We've tried to get through to her, but stopped after about four thousand years. Do you think you can walk, Violet?"

I'm a little shaky, but I'm standing fine in a minute. I'm still shaking, but this time it's not because I was out for so long, but because I am unbelievably nervous. I only learned less than five minutes ago that Alonzo, **the** Alonzo, was real! And he wanted to see me! Good grief, has my life taken a turn for the crazier!

We begin walking on a long, narrow bridge. I can see platforms made of old beams hanging in the distance, shrouded by fog, and connected by suspended wooden bridges. I can tell now that the ropes I was looking at earlier were actually spider webs. I can see huge webs in the distance, some suspended only a few feet away from us in midair. And on other platforms, I see levers, pulley systems, nets, everything! They've built a whole system on how to get around!

"So, how far does this stuff go?" I ask, pushing a low hanging web out of my way. "It's a powerful spell our mother cast when we first arrived. It goes as far as we need it to go...as a matter of fact, I don't remember how far it was the last time we checked, about seventy years ago or something." said Annabeth. "On the outside, it's an abandoned warehouse, but on the inside, space galore!" added Arista, who came up behind us and nearly knocked us over the edge. "Careful, Arista!" shouted Attina from ahead of us as we rocked back and forth, holding on for dear life. "You know what mother says about doing that!" she hissed, leaving Arista looking rather sheepish.

As we go further, the bridge tilts upwards. Ariel helps me up the last leg, which is a little steep, and we find ourselves on a large platform. It's surrounded on one side by a wall of webbing, which domes over our heads before stopping at a large wooden beam standing on the other end. There, it's open space, with nothing but a small makeshift fence of boards and webs to block a steady drop. Above us, in the middle of the dome, is a large hole that funnels up and out of my line of sight. "We're here." said Attina. "They'll be here any moment."

"We should go over some stuff before that though." said Alaana. "When you two will first be introduced, he might be a little bit shy at first. Well, you are the first person he's met since before he was a spider, so that would make perfect sense that he wouldn't be used to having anyone but himself, us, and mother around. But after awhile, I think he'll warm up to you, it's just in his nature. Other than that, I don't think there will be any problems." she explained, before her eyes went wide. "Oh, one more thing! When it comes to the whole 'human turned spider' thing, he can be very sensitive. So don't bring up the topic at all unless he expresses any permission. Got it?"

"Don't worry, I won't ask anything unless he says so." I said. "I wasn't planning on asking anything right away anyways."

After Alaana walked out of my our earshot, Ariel came up and whispered into my ear. "They don't like it when I say this, because it'll most likely end up in an argument, but take my advice on this: don't pull any jokes or pranks on him in any way, shape, or form. He **will** get you back." Then she pulled away giggling. "I didn't plan on that either. Got it." I whispered back.

From another bridge on the other side of the platform, Arachne emerged again. And this time, someone was standing behind her. I was intrigued, and didn't notice behind me that the sisters, including Arachne, who had rushed over to help, were positioning themselves underneath the large hole.

The woman who had entered the scene stood at six feet tall, towering over all of us. It was hard not to be intimidated by the bronze helmet and blood-red plume, or her dark, stormy gray eyes, cloaked by a waterfall of straight golden hair that pooled at her shoulders. The white dress she had flowed behind her, along with the tan cloak of an unidentifiable animal fur that rested gently on her shoulders. Strapped across her back was a spear, the blade freshly polished and glinting in the dim light.

I felt as if I was being stared down by a lioness, on the hunt and ready to strike its prey. My first instinct was to play it smart, drop to my knees, and bow my head. I didn't even have time to do this however, because a shadow had blocked my vision, and I turned around in time to catch my first glimpse.

My heart stopped.

When they said spider...I wasn't expecting him to be bigger than me!

It took everything in me not to gasp when the enormous figure descended from above on a single strand of rope-thick silk. In the dim, blue tinted light, it looked absolutely menacing. From where I was standing, I could only see an outline, and the hairs on the back of my neck had risen within a second, seemingly poised and alert. I shouldn't have been afraid, but of course, this was only my first time seeing him. It was obvious that I would be caught off guard the first time.

The upper torso looked mostly human, only with jet black, leathery-looking skin. His long arms ended in fine points instead of hands. Below the waist however, was where any human appearance stopped altogether. His whole lower body was the one of a spider, minus two of the legs, which must have been made up for by the arms. As horrible as it sounded to say it like this, it was actually really big, and looked pretty heavy. But it was what had been done to his face that captivated me the most. His whole face looked sunken and hollow, two green-tinted fangs were visible inside his mouth, and eight huge, bulbous eyes blinked in their sockets, almost entirely black, but tiny amber irises were visibly creeping in around the edges. He was descending upside down on a single string, targeting a descent into the small circle that his sisters had formed. All of them had their arms outstretched, as if he would fall any second by mistake.

When he reached his sister's grasps, they gently began to pull him down, with him grasping onto them, and trying to help them somewhat. He was holding onto Attina, who didn't seem to mind being a support structure. Even Arachne, though holding back tremendously, was helping.

As he got his legs shakily onto the ground and straightened up, he caught sight of me. I could see his breath catch in his throat when we made eye contact. We sat frozen for a few seconds, staring at each other. Then Attina whispered something into his ear (or I guess where it would be), he sighed, then started walking towards Athena and I. His steps were long, slow, and striding, and I noticed that Attina and Andrina were on either side of him, holding on tightly to his arms. All at once, I realized why they were holding him, and my heart seemed to sink to the floor.

Alonzo couldn't walk right. He could barely move without help from his sisters. Of course! It made perfect sense. He had been born and raised human, so his body would probably never be able to get used to moving in a different way. I could clearly see how much he was struggling, how his legs all shook as he moved them forwards, one at a time. His head was lowered somewhat, so one could assume he was making sure not to trip. But I knew what was going on. He was trying to hide his face as best as he could. The poor thing must have been so embarrassed.

Out of respect, I tried not to stare at him, and turned away, only to be met with Athena smiling at me.

So, I did the only sensible thing.

I dropped to the ground and bowed my head.

"Um… Athena, G-g-goddess of Wisdom and Warfare, I am h-honored to be in your pres-sence…" I stammered, unable to stop shaking. I was panicked! What else was I supposed to do?! "Your d-d-daughters told me that you could help me with-"

Before I could continue, I heard giggling from above me. When I looked up, Athena was trying (and failing) not to burst into laughter. "Oh, dear. You don't have to do that, you know." she said. "I… I don't?" I heard myself ask stupidly. "Of course not! Since when did this whole thing become so proper?" Feeling like an idiot, I got up and Athena held out her hand for me to shake. "Violet is your name, right?" she asked.

"How did you know?" I asked. A goddess knew my name! What an honor!

"Oh, Ariel has told us much about you. She wanted desperately to tell you about us, but of course, when we arrived, we vowed never to tell anyone unless absolutely necessary. You're the first person we've ever had here besides ourselves." Athena explained.

"So in a way, it's a win-win!" Ariel called from where she was standing. Then she turned to a few of her sisters and said bluntly, "By the way, I told you she was going to grovel when she saw mother. You all owe me a dollar."

When she said this, Alonzo turned towards her and growled quietly. Attina also seemed to be unamused. "Ariel, do **not** tell me you bet on this poor girl! She's been through enough today already!" Ariel gave some sort of indigent snort. "You bet on stuff, too." In return to that remark, Attina did a facepalm. "I do, but not on stupid stuff like this!"

"Do they do this often?" I asked. Athena did her own facepalm. "Yes, actually. They bet on _everything_ , and then never actually do anything with the money but pass it around to each other. And Alonzo _hates_ it when they do it." True to her words, when I looked over, he looked as if he was about to blow a fuse.

"Alright, my daughters, quiet that behavior before you drive your brother up the wall. Violet, can you show me and Alonzo the bite? We've been so worried about how bad it might be." I pulled at my sleeve so my shoulder was exposed, and the bite, in all its disgustingness, came into view. Athena's eyes narrowed. Alonzo's eyes widened and his jaw dropped in horror. "It was worse when we found her." said Alaana. She looked at Alonzo's face, and then said quickly, "But there should be no changes to appearance whatsoever. Don't worry."

I watched, confused as Alonzo heaved a sigh of relief. "Oh thank goodness." he said. It was the first time I heard him speak. His voice is very soft and gentle sounding.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Oh, it's nothing." said Alaana, who then grimaced, as if she had said it faster than she meant to. Athena placed a hand on Alaana's shoulder. "Alaana, you and Ariel did the right thing bringing her here. However, we have a lot to cover with Violet before she leaves...meaning we'll have to keep her here for at least a few more hours." Immediately, I spoke up after hearing the opportunity. "Oh, um, I don't mind! I would love to stay for as long as you need me."

Inside, I was completely giddy with excitement. Getting to have the opportunity to be with the characters from the greatest story ever told, for as long as necessary, was a dream come true! "Hang on. Alaana, you said the bite contained radioactive substances. Wouldn't it still be dangerous for her?" asked Adella.

"That's where it gets tricky." Alaana answered. "Annabeth helped me a bit with analyzing earlier, and she won't undergo any changes to appearance, like Alonzo was afraid would happen."

He was worried about what?! Whoa, that got deep pretty quickly. But I didn't have time to dwell long, because what Alaana said next rocked my world.

"However, you are technically correct. Because after a bit of research, we did find something that would result in a crucial change. She will transform, just in an entirely different way. She's gonna exhibit a series of rapidly changing genetics… which would inevitably result with a fourteen-year-old human girl that will be enhanced with the abilities that a spider possesses." she finished.

No one moved. At least, not until Arista spoke up. "So...she's gonna be like a superhero?" she asked tentatively. "If you want to put it in its simplest form, yes, she'll be exactly like a comic superhero." Alaana answered her younger sister.

The giddy feeling was entirely gone. All that was left was mostly numbness.

"So when these powers become affective, what will happen to her then?" asked Athena. "Nothing else that would be considered dangerous. The only thing left to do then is have someone teach her how to use... her powers..." Alaana was trailing off as she realized what she was saying, and we all turned to look at Alonzo.

When he caught on, he looked just as starstruck as I must have looked at the moment. "Me?!" he asked in a slightly higher pitched voice, before clearing his throat and saying quickly, "Of course I'll do it! You can count on me!"

"Alright then, that's settled as well. Now, of course there's one more matter that we must discuss, about secrecy…" said Athena. Ariel knew immediately what she was talking about. "Oh, you don't have to worry about a thing Athena. She would never sell us out." Andrina frowned. "Okay, and how can we be sure?...uh, why don't we all take some kind of blood oath!"

"Andrina, you've got five seconds to take that back." said Alonzo. "Okay fine… no blood oaths. But still, what if she-" That was as far as Andrina got before a large panel of wood underneath her slid away, and she fell straight through a trapdoor! When we all rushed over to see, she was caught in a web that was rigged up like a net. Alonzo was laughing, and when I looked up at him, he was holding onto a strand of silk that he had apparently pulled to activate the mechanism. "See Andrina? I trust her!" he called to his sister, who was struggling to wiggle free from the trap.

"What did I tell you? Wicked sense of humor!" said Ariel. "Oh please, I'm not that bad." said Alonzo.

"I trust her too." said Athena. "She may be permitted to come here, so Alonzo can train her. Violet, I assure you, that you are welcome here, no matter what. With that settled, you and Alonzo have much to discuss… why don't you two try to get to know each other?" I didn't even have time to answer before Alonzo shyly nodded. "Alright. If anyone needs anything, they can just call me." she said. "Attina, Alaana, I would like to speak with you both." she said. Leaving Alonzo leaning on Ariel for support, Attina disappeared into the mist with her mother and Alaana.

"Violet, do you think you can handle him on your own for awhile?" asked Ariel. "M-m-me?!" I sputtered, surprised. "It's alright. He only really needs one person with him at a time. We just have two just in case." she said. Alonzo was hanging his head again, probably blushing. I had once again been stunned into silence. Especially when Alonzo reached his arm out for my hand. The skin felt coarse and rough under my fingers. As Alonzo transitioned his hold from Ariel to me, he held on tight. Eventually, I was his support system. Just as I predicted, there was a mile wide blush running across his face.

"Ready?" he asked. I nodded. I couldn't say anything. Not yet. "Have fun you two!" I heard Andrina yell out to us with a giggle. She must have climbed back up to the platform. Alonzo face contorted into a grimace, grumbling something in Greek under his breath as Andrina's remark was followed by laughing from the other girls. Then he sighed. "Their just fooling around. Let's go."

And like that, we were off into the mist as well.

It was time for me to see if I was worthy to walk with the spiders.

 **A/N.  
AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!**

 **I really don't want to leave off right there, but it was getting a little too long, and I had to split it into two parts. I wasn't even planning on the second one until I left off where I did!**

 **Part Two will be entirely from Alonzo's POV. I think that might be a challenge, because I wasn't planning on adding his POV, but I thought better of it. As a matter in fact, he's got a lot more POV time coming. This is going to be awesome! There's so much more of the story we've got to get through, but I'll get through it, no matter what!**

 **With that being said, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! And once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Stay tuned! ;)**


	4. Into The Web, Part Two

**A/N.  
YES! WE'RE BACK!**

 **Man, I am pumped! Been really excited for you all to see what Part Two has in store. Once again, thanks for any positive feedback you have given or have yet to give. You guys have been amazing.**

 **This is the first time ever in the story that we'll see into the mind of Alonzo. He's a very complex character, but is probably one of my favorite OCs out of all the OCs I've ever created. I take tons of pride, and am honored, in being his creator. I hope that you will like him, too.**

 **Update on November 14th: I always write these author's notes before the chapter is actually finished, and it has come to my attention that Stan Lee has passed away at age 95. As such, this chapter was intended to be finished and posted in November, but I pushed it back to December 28th. Today, December 28th, would have been his 96th birthday, and this chapter will serve as a memorial and tribute to him. I just want to say thank you to him. Without him, this story might never have existed.**

 **Rest In Peace, Stan. You made a wonderful impact on the world...**

 **Anyways, let's get to business. Once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter Four: Into The Web, Part Two.

She handled it better than I thought she would.

I'm still in a little bit of shock after what happened earlier. I could barely believe what was happening. But just a few hours later, here I am, with the first person I've met since my transformation. I thought this day would never come. It seemed out of the question. But here we are. Just walking. I want to put a good distance between myself and the others before we really began talking. You never know which one of my sisters could be attempting to eavesdrop. Yes, they did that often. One of the few things about them that I actually find annoying.

I've grown used to walking with my sisters and mother. When I was with Violet, I instantly knew it was different. But not in a bad way.

The first thing I notice is that she's trying to be very careful and gentle with me. My sisters have gone through this over a million times, and counting, so it's basically routine for them. They've always known what to do. This is Violet's first time though. I think she's nervous that she might accidentally let me slip and fall or something similar to that. I don't say anything out loud, as to not accidentally make her feel uncomfortable, but this is a very kind thing she's doing.

The second thing that I take the time to observe is that she's going very slow, attempting to accommodate my speed. She's taking small, quiet steps, but is able to keep up with my own huge, slow-motion stride. This I'm also grateful for, but once again, I remain silent.

The third thing? She's smiling at me. Every now and then she'll glance at me, and I can see the grin on her face. Warm, glowing, ecstatic. I can't help but smile too. I knew why she was so happy. Ariel had already told me I was her hero. What an honor.

Before today's little 'accident', I've actually heard a lot about Violet. Before Ariel disguised herself at this new school, which she's done often in the last century at different schools across the city, she hadn't had a best friend at school for years. And when she does get one, they don't last long, and for one sad reason. They think she's too different.

Violet, however, has proven to be different from all of them. Both actually had a lot in common. And when she expressed her love for the myths, that's when Ariel knew she had a friend for life. That afternoon, she ran home and told us all about this kind girl that she had met, and how amazing she was. She told us everything, and we were impressed. Over the next few months, they seemed to grow closer and closer. We were happy that she finally had a close friend.

No one could have predicted what happened today, however. It was as if my whole world turned upside down.

Ariel and Alaana had called us at home in a panic, saying Violet had been bitten by a spider, and asking what we should do. If it were anyone else, and any other way to be injured, Mother would have told them to take them to the hospital. But the spider was radioactive. We couldn't take the risk of someone potentially discovering the powers growing inside her. We had no choice. Mother asked us to deliver her to our home, safely.

I don't go out often. I can go out on my own, but that's where it gets tricky. I have to use webbing to get around. The only time I can get around by myself is when I'm hanging sideways or upside-down on a web, which is hard when I'm outside. Which is why I don't go out often. But once we got the news, I knew I had to get out there. I didn't even have to tell Mother. Once we finished talking with Ariel and Alaana, I got out of there as quickly as I could.

It took about fifteen minutes of frantic web-spinning and almost falling to the pavement below in the dark alleyways, but I eventually reached my sisters. They were holding up the girl I had heard so much about, it's as if I knew her too. I had seen a few pictures on Ariel's phone, so I knew what she looked like. Long, flowing black hair and warm, but sad, brown eyes. She seemed to not even know her own beauty.

Suddenly, there she was, unconscious in my arms, pale and moaning in her sleep. I had half-mindedly told my sisters that we should hurry home, and off we went. Let's just say, trying to get her back while not trying to fall to a painful death was… interesting. I was having the worst trouble, and nearly smashed into walls face-first more than once. We were lucky we even got home in one piece!

My sisters immediately took her away to recover, and I spent hours worrying about what might happen to her. Somewhere along the way, I got the nasty idea that she might be transforming, right at that moment. My sisters were providing updates, but I was dreading what might be the final outcome. It was a disaster. I was trying to stay calm, but couldn't help but freak out on the inside. If she were to end up looking like me, it would be a nightmare! She didn't deserve it! That's why I was so relieved when I finally got the news that nothing of the sort would happen to her.

Now here we are. Still walking, barely making any sound. The dim blue light is reflecting off her hair, which is shinier than it looks. White noise has begun settling around us. I think we've gone far enough to break the silence now.

But where to start?

I mean, it's been longer than I can count since I've met someone new. What do I say? I quickly try to think of something, but they all sound stupid in my head…

"It's beautiful in here."

I jumped when she speaks. I didn't even notice she had stopped for a second, looking around in wonder. She looks back at me and her eyes go wide. "I'm sorry, did I scare you?" she asked, worried. I shrug, and say quietly, "Just a little. I'm okay." She nods, then goes back to gazing at the scenery around her. "You like it?" I ask. She nods again. "It's very impressive." I smile. "I'm glad you like it then." We begin walking again, much less nervous than before.

"How much did Mouni- I mean Ariel!... tell you about me?" asked Violet, quickly correcting herself. "A lot, actually. You're the closest friend she's had besides her own family members in a long time." I answered honestly. When I looked at her, she was smiling wider now, but blushing too. "Thank you for telling me that." she said. "It's an honor to be her best friend."

"I'll remember to tell Ariel that later." I said.

"Thanks." she answered. Then her face got serious. "How on earth will I hide any of this 'new spider ability stuff' from my family?" she asked. "I could definitely see why I would have to, and of course I want to, but wouldn't they notice? My mom wouldn't be a problem, of course, but my siblings find out everything, especially my little sister."

I frowned. That was a good question. "Well, I guess you'll just have to be careful. We can determine how serious the abilities are when you develop them. Then we can go through the right times to use them. Don't worry, we'll get this under control, I promise. I'll teach you everything I know."

"Thanks. You don't know how hard it is to keep something from my sister. She's probably the most pushy person I know, and will discover **any** secret, no matter how hard someone tries to hide it. Pretty impressive actually, given her age." she explains, before beginning to laugh. "How old is she?" I asked. "She turned four yesterday." Violet answered.

"Only four?" I asked in surprise, to which she nodded. "Yeah. I have five siblings, three older, and two younger. Estelle and I are the only girls, we have four brothers. I read her myths out of this large book of them I received when I was her age… that's where I learned about you actually."

She stopped, with me following a second later. "As a matter of fact, I told her the story last night. I wanted to save it for a special occasion, and because it was her birthday, I thought to myself, 'why not'?" I beamed. "What did she think?" I asked.

"She told me this morning before I left for school that it was gorgeous. My brothers all listened in too, and they actually agreed. And they normally think all those stories end up kind of annoying after they've heard them so many times. One of them even noted how strange it was that it left off, just like that. I had noticed that years ago even, and I didn't even think about how strange it was until last night." she explained. Then she grinned. "Of course, now that I know what happened, it makes much more sense."

I nodded, knowing exactly where she was coming from. "Sometimes my sisters get curious about how people interpret the story's end." I explained. "I think we looked it up once… and a lot of people actually also noticed the abrupt stop. They thought it was very strange, exactly like you and your siblings thought. That's very clever."

Then I got an idea. "Why don't we just sit down here?" I asked. She looked confused, until I explained, "My sisters are less likely to find us in the middle of a bridge, than on a platform. If there's less to see, there's less to tease about… and Andrina can be **ruthless** when she teases, if not downright evil."

With some difficulty, we sat down, feeling the wooden planks sway back and forth below us. I glanced over the side at the murky air underneath. "Is it far down?" Violet asked. "Probably. It changes everyday, you never know." I glanced back at her.

"Is there anything else you want to know?"

I let her think about it for a minute, watching patiently as the gears turned in her mind, behind her eyes, processing, waiting for something to come up. "I'm not sure what to say really…" she said finally. "I mean, this is all so amazing, and there are a thousand questions I would want to ask, but then I'd never get through them all." She took a few more seconds to look around, as if searching for the question missing from her mind and lips. Then, she turned to face me.

"What's the first thing I have to do to be like a spider?" she asked.

"That's easy." I said. "You can't be afraid of heights."

I watched as Violet looked tentative over the side of the bridge, then recoiled at the sight of the dizzying drop. "You're scared of heights, aren't you?" I asked. "No, I'm not scared of them… but I've never been a fan of them. A plane crash killed my dad three years ago." she explained.

Shoot! In my head, I was practically kicking myself. Now I've done it! I facepalmed, unable to believe what she just said. "Come on, how could I be so stupid?!" I whispered to myself. She looked over, probably hearing what I just said. "Oh, no it's okay! You didn't know." she said.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to spring that on you." I said. "It's alright, you don't have to apologize. In fact, you're probably right… I need to concur heights." she said. "And if I'm gonna learn to climb on the webs, which I'll probably end up doing, that's the first thing I want to know how to do."

Suddenly, I got an idea, and smirked. "What do you think about an early lesson?" I asked. I got my answer when her eyes lit up like Christmas lights. "Here, can you help me up?" I asked.

After a good five minutes of me clinging onto Violet and trying to not to tip us both over the edge of the bridge, I was up and ready. While she was righting herself, I had spun up a new cord of silk with one arm (since I didn't really have a hand, just a pointed tip). It was thin, like a jump rope, and would never support our combined weight (heck, nothing that size would support mine in a million years).

But, I knew a pretty cool trick. "Watch this." I said. She quickly shifted her hold onto my shoulders, because I needed both arms free. Holding the cord with both 'hands', I simply closed my eyes and let the magic begin. Literally. I heard Violet gasp, and when my eyes opened again, the cord had swelled to about three times its width in my grip, and it was crackling with blue sparks, sending energy rebounding up and down the length.

"How did you do that?" Violet asked as I began swinging it in circles, fast. "When I transformed, I thought I lost the powers that my sisters still have today." I explained, closing my eyes again. "It wasn't until a couple hundred years later that we realized it was still there. The only difference was that it could only manifest itself through the webs that I made. That's why the webs are so big... and strong too."

I then tossed it upwards with ease. It collided with a strand of webbing, and stuck. Just to be safe, I pulled it once, sharply, and a loud _CRACK!_ sounded. "There," I said, giving the cord a few tugs. "Nice and firm." I looked back at Violet. "You always have to test these before actually climbing onto them. The first few times, I ended up crashing before anything could even happen." She nodded. "I'm sorry that happened, I'll remember that." Once I was sure I was ready, I held out an arm for her to take. "Shall we?" I asked in a mock English accent. She giggled before saying back, with the same accent, "Of course we shall."

"Remember to hold on tight." I said as she clambered up onto my back. "I'm kind of nervous to be honest, so I don't know what speed I'll be going at, but still hold on tight. I'm gonna take you back to the main platform so that when you're ready to go home, Ariel can take you. Okay?"

"Okay." she answered, arms clamped down over my shoulders. She was lying down flat on her stomach, on my back, with her legs slightly wrapped around me. She really did listen when she said she would hold on. I couldn't help but beam.

"Ready for the drop?" I asked. She nodded. "Yes. I'm- wait, what?"

With that, I began.

By jumping off the platform.

I heard her gasp in surprise when it happened. I did warn her that I was jumping, so I couldn't really blame her. "It's okay!" I shouted. "Just hold on!" She had buried her head in my shoulder, and I felt her nod slightly. I just hope she believed that it was going to be okay. I wasn't worried of course. I've done this tons of times.

I was still holding the rope, tightly, and when we reached the right limit, we began to swing upwards. Another web was coming into view, and when it was close enough, I grabbed it, and repeated the last action. It was simple, really.

By now, Violet had opened her eyes again. "So this is how you can get around faster?" she asked. "Yes!" I answered. "I try to do this as much as I can! I'm not going too fast for you, am I?" I asked. "No!" she answered. "It's perfect… and beautiful!" She began to laugh. Her laughter caught on, and pretty soon, it was uncontrollable. I was having a great time.

Fifteen minutes later, I was disappointed to find that we had gotten back faster than I hoped. I looked back at Violet, and she also looked sad. "You okay?" I asked. "I'm sorry, I'm just a little emotional… this was a dream come true." she said, smiling at me. "Everything I could have ever wanted was granted in the last few hours… I can't thank you enough for giving me this experience. And I can't wait to see you again after this."

"You're welcome." I said. "I'm so happy you got to have this experience."

With that, I turned upside down and began to descend through the hole again, with Violet this time. She didn't protest at being upside down at all, and she held tight. My sisters and mother were waiting, a couple of them with some very smug looks. "Is something wrong?" I asked Andrina when I passed her. She giggled while she helped me get down. "Oh, nothing… I'll tell you later." I frowned. I didn't like the way she was talking.

My focus was drawn away by Mother. "Did everything go alright?" she asked, taking my 'hand' into hers, with Adella on my other side. "Yes. Everything went smoothly." I answered. They lead us over to a series of levers and pulleys, and we descended, my sisters in tow. Violet had hitched a ride with Ariel this time, and was smiling sadly. Everything was going too fast for us. Mostly because we found ourselves at the door (which was just a large garage door on both the outside and inside) in only a few minutes.

"Alright." I said, looking at Violet. "I'll see you when you get those powers." She nodded. "I can't wait until I do." She then turned and walked forwards a little, looking as if she were going to walk outside, back into the world… until she quickly rushed back and threw her arms around me.

"Thank you… for everything." she whispered. I stood stunned for a few seconds, before wrapping my arms around her, leaning into the hug. "It's been an honor to meet you Violet." I whispered, before straightening up. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye." she said quietly, before walking outside, with Ariel, who had changed into something normal looking. "I'll make sure she gets home safely." said Ariel. "Thank you, my daughter." said Mother. Violet casted one last glance at us before the door closed, severing her view. I waved as this happened. Then I looked at Mother and smiled. "That went well, didn't it?" I asked.

Andrina giggled behind us. "Alright, what's so funny?" I asked, turning to look at her. She spent a few seconds looking from the door, to me, and back again. It took a few more seconds before I realized what _exactly_ she was thinking. "Oh no… oh no! ANDRINA!" I shouted as she roared with laughter. "I saw the look on your face! I know what you were thinking!" she said.

"We've only known each other for a few **hours**!" I argued. "You can't just think that about us right away!" Desperate, I looked over at a few of my other sisters. "Can one of you girls back me up here?!" Annabeth gave me a strange look. "As much as you're gonna hate what I have to say, she has a point." she said.

My jaw dropped. "Annabeth?! Of all the people who could say that, it had to be you?!" Annabeth snorted indignantly. "No, not about what Andi said, but about you having a look on your face. You looked… frankly, you looked happier than I seen you in decades!"

I did a double take when she said that. Come to think of it, I've really felt that way too! Could it be?... no, it's only been one day. I had plenty of time to think about it. And even then, there would be obstacles.

"Let it go, Lonz." said Attina. "If Andi decides to act like I child, she can to her heart's content. You're right. Just try and ignore her, you've got other things to worry about."

I nodded. I did have other things to worry about. Like what'll happen when Violet's powers do manifest. It's not like she'll wake up on the ceiling, right?...

 **Two Weeks Later, Violet's Room.**

I'M ON THE CEILING!

 **A/N.  
Oh boy… things are happening.**

 **I'm hoping that was a good birthday tribute. Once again, this was one of my favorite chapters to work on, and I enjoyed every second.**

 **That's just about it! Again, I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Stay tuned! ;)**


	5. Tangled Threads

**A/N.  
Hey everyone, we are officially back!**

 **I will admit, the first part of this I significantly changed from the musical, but it should look similar. Also, the very end of the chapter (and the start of the next) will have a very sensitive topic involving a brush of violence (and someone gets injured). Do not worry though, I do not like killing off characters, and have no plans to do so anytime soon.**

 **Anyways, that's all I have until the next author's note! Once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter Five: Tangled Threads. ****

When Alaana gave me a list of side effects I should expect, trust me, **this** was not one of them!

"Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh…" I muttered, crawling as slowly as possible across the ceiling. I wasn't getting dizzy, but seeing everything upside down was mind boggling. Thank goodness Estelle wasn't here to see this.

Was I sleepwalking?! I've never done that in my life! Then again, that's the only explanation of how I got up here, unless my powers were that eager to try themselves out. I guess I waited the correct amount of time, so it would definitely be normal. But I had school today! There was no way I would get through it without accidentally showing something!

First things first, I had to get down. I positioned myself (hopefully) directly over my bed, then willed myself to come down. I was expecting the drop, but still felt my stomach flip when it happened. I immediately bounced off the mattress and landed perfectly on my feet. I was dumbfounded. And I knew exactly what to do next.

Rushing over to my dresser, I unplugged my phone from its charger, then dialed Ariel's number right away.

She answered after a few rings. "Hey Violet! Sorry it took me a few seconds, we were busy helping Alonzo put in his contact lenses!"

I did a double take. "He wears contact lenses? I didn't notice!"

She laughed. "Heck, yeah! Annabeth made them for him, because his eyes are so big no others can fit. He's practically blind without them! So, what are you calling me so early?"

I took a deep breath, then asked, "Would you believe me if I told you I just woke up on the ceiling?"

Silence for a few seconds, then, "Oh… they showed up, didn't they?" I nodded. "Yeah, and I haven't checked if I have anything else yet. We need to talk when we get to school."

"Right on it. I'll tell Mother you're coming after school. See you soon?" she said. "See you soon." I answered before hanging up. As I put the phone down again, I suddenly felt a stinging pain in my wrist. "Ouch!" I shouted, grabbing it. It felt like I had just gotten pricked by a needle! However, when I turned my wrist over to examine it, there was nothing. Unbroken skin. "Strange…" I muttered. Strange indeed.

The morning carried on like a normal one would. I went downstairs, ate breakfast with my siblings, and we had to deal with Estelle's wild imagination as usual (this morning consisted of us convincing her that, no, she could not have donuts for breakfast).

Mom was working at a candy store in Grand Central, so we didn't see her. Most days we don't see her at all. We've all come to a mutual, unspoken agreement that even after three years, she needs time to grieve Dad in her own way, so we don't pester her with petty needs unless necessary. That leaves Peter in charge of us, and thank goodness his working times at the lab are the same times we have school, otherwise Eric would be in charge of us. And something tells me he would most likely jump at the idea of donuts for breakfast.

As I walked into school that morning, I had adrenaline running through my veins. I was powerful now. I had no idea what to do with these abilities, or how to hide them. There's no telling how I ended up on the ceiling this morning, and I honestly don't want a repeat of that incident today. I would be busted for sure if that happened.

Going through the motions, everything went on as normal around me. English was okay. I excelled in Biology. Another 'Mock Me' sign was taped to the back of my shirt after excelling in Biology. Thank goodness Ariel caught it before anyone else could. That might have triggered some sort of power use.

It wasn't until lunch that I got a chance to talk to Ariel. Once we finished, we left the cafeteria and ran straight to the bathroom. After scouring for any eavesdroppers, we got down to business.

"Did any other powers show up?" she asked. I shrugged. "Not that I know of. All I know is that I woke up on the ceiling, so that's a start. I still can't believe Estelle didn't catch me. It must have started right before I woke up, she would have left the room at the time."

"That is a possibility. Alonzo was shocked when I told him. His mouth might have dropped farther than the Mammoth Cave!" I laughed, hard. "Can he walk on ceilings?" I asked once I could breathe normally again.

"Not without some sort of webbing to help. Walls, too. Both are tricky for him. He said you must have had an easier time because you're so much smaller than him. How did you stick up there anyways?" Ariel explained.

Come to think of it… how did I manage to stay up there?

"I don't remember, my mind was a little frazzled. You don't think…" I trailed off. Ariel looked like she was thinking. "Alonzo's webbing comes from an opening on top of his back. Seeing as you would have noticed if that happened, that can't be it. Are there any other places that might have produced webbing?" she asked.

"No." I answered. "I mean, my wrists hurt for a second this morning, but when I looked, the skin was unbroken."

Ariel took my wrist and examined it. "Is it still hurting?" she asked. "Maybe it feels a little sensitive, but that's normal. Why would webbing come from there anyways?"

"I don't know, that's more of an Alaana question. Why don't we find out if that's it?" she asked. She moved out of the way so the wall wasn't blocked. "Try firing something at the wall. If webbing comes out, there's our answer." I was uncertain. "Ariel, are you sure? I don't know how to activate something like that, or we might get caught if someone sees, or it might go out of control-"

"Violet, it's okay. You've got this." said Ariel. "Just think for a second. You want to shoot webbing at the wall. If you think about where it wants to go, the aim will be better. It's just silk. No harm done."

"Okay." I said. Lifting my right hand, I pointed it towards the wall. She was right, it was just silk. My wrists stung for a second, and my stomach flipped. How long was it supposed to take-

Just then, silk shot out at an unbelievable speed, leaving a huge patch of the stuff on the wall, connected to my wrist by a few strands hanging across the room. We gasped, then began laughing in triumph. "Ha!" I shouted. "Yes, I did it!"

"This is amazing. Try the ceiling now!" said Ariel. Using my left hand now, I concentrated, and the same thing happened. Ariel was right, this was amazing. I tried retracting some thread, and I was lifted up slightly off the ground by the silk on the ceiling. "So this **is** how I got up there this morning." I said to Ariel, who was wide-eyed and staring in wonder. "It must have activated, and my body responded to it naturally, like an instinct."

The bell rang. "Quick, we have to get to class!" said Ariel. I quickly retracted the silk, jumped down, and we started walking to class. "Alonzo's not gonna believe this." I heard Ariel muttered under her breath.

 _(A few hours later…)_

The day **dragged**.

It felt like ages before the final bell rang, and the students came pouring out the doors, shouting and causing their usual ruckus.

Usually, Ariel and I will pause and say our goodbyes before going our separate ways. Today however, we ran through the streets to Ariel's home, eager to get there. As we ran, I discovered I was gaining more speed, while Ariel was falling behind slightly. "Vi, wait up!" she shouted. I stopped and let her catch up to me. "Weird. You're always the faster runner in P.E." I said.

"Must be the powers taking control there." said Ariel quietly, as to not catch the attention of the ordinary people walking by us. "Enhanced speed? Wouldn't be that surprising."

"Imagine if you hadn't found me first. If I had started showing these off before I knew what they were. There would be no specialist that would know what to do with me!" I said. We laughed as we set off again down the sidewalk. I made sure to be a bit slower this time.

Ariel led the way as we ducked into an alleyway. I remembered the way from when Ariel took me home the night I met her family, but just in case I had forgotten something in the directions, I would let her lead until I could really engrain the way to her home into my memory. Once we reached the garage door, we pushed it up together.

"Woah!" Ariel yelped. I had pushed too hard, and now she was hanging a foot above the ground from the door. I gasped, then stopped it before it could go up all the way and crush her fingers. "Are you okay?" I asked. "Yeah, I'm fine!" she answered before hopping down. I glanced at my hand. It looked normal, but held so much power now…

"I have to be careful from now on." I said. "Or at least until I get these powers under control." Ariel smiled. "Well, you've come to the right place! Step right inside, and we'll get to work." she said.

This time, I let her handle the door as she shut it behind us. The inside looked the same as when I had been here last, bathed in blue and unable to see through the mist. Ariel pulled a lever bolted into the ground, and a platform below us began to rise, supported on all four corners by silk, like an old-fashioned lift.

"This should take us right up to the main platform." she explained.

"Perfect! I'm looking forward to this." I answered, absent-mindedly watching my surroundings shoot downwards past us. Coils of the stuff were spilling down all around us like a waterfall, and it was so thick, you could hold it in your hands and watch it trickle away. I did this a few times for the fun of it. It felt like I was holding a cloud.

When we arrived, we were in a small platform that served as an entryway to the main one, and we were quite surprised to see the rest of Ariel's sisters gathered around the opening behind a closed curtain of webbing, trying not to be seen, but listening for something. As I expected, Arachne wasn't present.

"Hey, what's going?-" Ariel started to say, but she was abruptly cut off by several of her sisters, each of whom emitted a semi-loud "SHHHHHHHH!", before turning and listening again. Confused, we followed their example and leaned in, staying silent, and that's when we heard it.

Ariel's jaw dropped.

"No way!" she hissed under her breath. "Is he?-"

"Yes." answered Attina. "He hasn't in decades."

I could only dare to breathe, least I miss something. Flowing from behind the curtain, was a beautiful lullaby, all in Greek, all of it gorgeous. No one else in this place could have been singing it but Alonzo. He seemed to have memorized this one, not missing a single word.

Ariel turned to her sisters. "And, this started because?..."

"We told him Violet was coming." Adella answered.

My hand flew to my mouth. "What?" I asked, albietly muffled.

"We told him you were coming, and I swear, I had never seen him get so excited. He wanted to wait for you by himself, and when we left him alone, out of the blue he started to sing! We had to listen, because we haven't heard him do that in ages, and we've been here ever since until you came along." Adella explained.

Seeing the shocked look on my face, Aquata piped up. "It's really sweet actually. I think he's just excited to have someone new to talk to for once, besides us anyways. We probably got old quickly. He knows us **way** too well."

"Tell me about it." said Arista as we got up. "I went to talk to him yesterday, and he knew it was me that was coming! He didn't even turn around to look! It scared me out of my skin, I tell you!"

"Why don't I get mother and tell her you're here, while you go in with Ariel?" asked Attina. "Then you can show off those fancy new powers."

I heard Andrina snicker behind me. We turned to her, and she shrugged. "I didn't say anything." she said. "Right…" Attina trailed off, then turn back to us. "Alright then, you to head in and get down to business!"

"See you later Attina." I said as Ariel walked it. I followed a second later. Alonzo had stopped singing now, and was sitting patiently for us. When he saw me, he immediately waved. "Hi Violet!" he said excitedly. I was about to wave back, until...

"AHHHHHHHHH!"

Ariel and I both shrieked in surprise as the floor gave way from under us. I thought for a wild second that we would fall until we reached the floor, but we were caught a few seconds later by a net of webbing. I didn't even have time to catch my breath and think about what just happened, because Ariel began to frantically try and scramble out from underneath me.

"ALONZO!" she shouted. "YOU REALLY HAVE TO WATCH WHERE YOU PUT THESE THINGS!"

I looked around, and sure enough, we had fallen straight into one of his trapdoors. A sound of scurrying came from above us, along with some unintelligible shouting, and then Alonzo's face appeared at the top.

"Oh my gods, I'm so sorry girls! Here, let me help you!" he said, throwing down a large strand of silk while sporting a large blush. Ariel grabbed on, but I had something else in mind. "It's okay, I got this!" I shouted. Focusing hard, I proceeded to fire a strand of my own silk, and pull myself up.

Alonzo, who was sitting on the ground holding the silk, looked utterly speechless. His jaw had gone slack, eyes bugged out, everything. Then, he stuttered, "We've got a **lot** to talk about, it seems."

Five minutes later, we were walking together again.

"Mother seemed very happy to see you again." Alonzo said. I smiled. "I'm glad she was. I mean, it's not everyday that you're befriended by a goddess's children." I said.

"Heck, it's not everyday you get onto a goddess's good side! I presume you know about Medusa?" he asked. I nodded. "Yeah. Snuck into her temple with Poesidon for some… _private business_ , and the next thing you know-"

"She's got a nest of pythons permanently stuck on her skull." he finished. We laughed. "Well, she kinda had it coming. They were breaking and entering." I said. "If they wanted some peace and quiet, they should have gone to Poesidon's temple and not butt into anyone else's business."

"Let me tell you this; mother does **not** regret it either. She was pretty annoying according to her." said Alonzo.

"How old were you when she did that?" I asked.

"It was before I was born, maybe two years before. When Annabeth was a newborn, so Arachne wasn't there either." he explained. "With a new baby on her hands, that was the last thing she needed at the moment, so, Medusa ticked her off just enough to get creative. But to be honest, I've always noticed that my three oldest sisters seemed to be very scared of snakes. They can barely look at Mother's shield. I guess it freaked them out. My other sisters were too young to remember."

"Interesting." I said. "I think snakes are cool. My dad had an uncle who had a pet snake. He would see it all the time as a kid. Its name was Herbert for some reason."

Alonzo laughed. "I don't mind snakes either." he said. Then he shuddered. " _Sharks_ on the other hand…"

Then he looked back at me. "Why don't we go over what powers you have so far?"

I explained the webbing and ceiling incident this morning, and then what Ariel and I observed in the school bathroom. Alonzo looked intrigued. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you're exhibiting the same ability I showed you the last time you were here. Remember how I showed you the way I got around so fast by swinging from the webs?"

"I was able to pull myself out of the trapdoor earlier." I answered.

"Looks like I chose the right thing to show you, you picked up on it quickly," he said. "Anything else?"

"Ariel and I tried running here, but she couldn't keep up with me. And when we opened the garage door, she went up with it." I listed off. "Speed, strength, and agility." he muttered. "All equivalent to that of a spider." A smile broke out onto his face. "You're gonna be pretty powerful, Violet."

I beamed and blushed, but for a good reason. "Thank you, Alonzo."

He looked at me and said quietly, "If Alonzo is too long for you, Lonz is always another option. My sisters call me that sometimes, and I've always liked it. Has a nice ring, you know?"

The smile only got wider. "Okay… Lonz."

 _(Five and A Half Hours Later…)_ ****

I don't even know how far we got before resting.

I had been practicing swinging on the webs like Lonz showed me last time, with him a few feet ahead of me at all times, so I can see how it's supposed to be done. After some practice, I was really getting the hang of it!

Since I had been on Lonz's back last time, it was an entirely different experience getting to swing around on my own. The weightlessness got me when I dropped the first time, and this time, it was stronger, but I still fired the web and pulled up in time, remembering how Alonzo did it. After that, it was easy to figure it out from there. I was learning fast, and Lonz was looking pretty happy, so I must have been doing something right.

"Okay, we can stop now." Lonz said as we settled on a platform. He immediately sat down, legs folded in tightly to his sides while propping himself up on his hands. I sat down a few seconds after he did, crossing my legs.

"You're really getting good at this!" he exclaimed. "You're on your way to being a natural!"

I blushed. "You really think so?"

"I know I do. You were awesome!" he answered.

"Thank you." I said, filled with honor and gratitude. To be honest, I was pretty proud of myself. "Do you think anything else might show up?" I asked out of curiosity. Alonzo shrugged. "You never know. Alaana said there might be some last minute late-bloomers or something like that. But we seem to have discovered at least half of them so far."

Then he looked at me. "I'm just glad you can't do this."

"Do what?" I asked, but he was already turning to his left. His eyes narrowed on a hanging strand of webbing that looked tangled, and quite useless and dead. Then, he opened his mouth.

I watched in shock as his fangs shot out to a 90 degree angle, and something green sprayed from the tips and landed on the web strand. It hissed and fizzled, smoking at the spot of impacted, before I heard a snapping noise, and the entire strand came down, stiff and crumbling. I leaned over the side and watched it disappear into the mist, which continued to billow around us.

For a few seconds, silence.

"How?… How did you?..." I turned to ask, but he already had his answer prepared.

"Venom," he said simply.

"Why are you glad that I don't have it?" I asked.

His expression turned serious. "It's probably the most dangerous weapon on me. The hardest to control as well. It could burn through skin tissue, nerves, muscle and even bone in seconds with just one drop. I don't like to think of the potential damage it could cause to a living being."

I went pale at the thought. "Whoa. Now _I'm_ glad I can't do that." I said. Then I looked at him with wide eyes. "Are you sure it's not one of those late-bloomers that Alaana told you about?"

He smiled. "Trust me Violet, if you did have it, we would have known this morning, so you have nothing to worry about. It would have probably looked like a disaster scene, it's so hard to get under control. The stuff was spewing all over the place after I…"

He trailed off for a second, with a strange look in his eye.

My eyes widened. I knew what he was about to say, but I didn't question the subject any further. Instead, I asked quietly, "Are you okay?"

"I'm alright. Nevermind what I was gonna say." he said, lowering his head.

"You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to talk about if you don't want to." I said, recalling what Alaana told me the night I met Alonzo. This was obviously about the day he became a spider, and I knew very well that he was sensitive about it.

"Did Alaana tell you that?" _  
_  
 _Wow. He figured that out fast._

Arista had a point about him knowing them so well.

"My first day here, yes." I answered. "How did you know?" All he did was shrug. "It just sounds like something she'd say. As much as we annoy each other, they're all very protective of me. Even Arachne, though she'd never admit it."

He looked sad again, maybe even sadder than before. "Even if we tried to get her to tell…" he started.

"She wouldn't talk." I finished.

" _We've tried to get through to her, but stopped after about four thousand years."_ Attina's words echo in my head. "How long has it been since she's willingly talked to you?" I asked.

"Not since that day." Lonz answered miserably. His eyes became shiny, and he looked as if he was going to cry. "She won't even look at me. She knows she did this, and she can't stand it."

"But she saved your life!" I said, shocked. "She went through all that, and now she won't look at you?!"

This was outrageous! His own sister, the only one who shared both parents with him, had abandoned him! He had been her best friend! I had read the full myth. I knew how she's saved him, more than once in fact, and how much she adored him. I should have known, from the way she was always bolting away. She was too busy wallowing in her own sorrow to see how much he was suffering because of it!

"She and I were close in our youth," he explained. "Which you probably know already. She did save me, but she probably feels guilty for my appearance. For what I turned into, because she's knows I look terrifying. I mean, if it were me in her shoes, I probably would have done the same. I would feel guilty, too."

"You don't look terrifying." I said honestly.

"Not in her eyes." A single tear runs down his face. I quickly reach forwards to brush it away, but he reaches it before I do. Arachne caused this. I can't help the brush of anger in me. Was he angry with her when it happened? Or did her forgive her?

I can't ask. I didn't want to upset him any longer.

"I'm sorry, this conversation was my fault." I said, guilty. "It's alright, you don't have anything to be sorry for. I was the one who got started on Arachne." he looked at me, trying to mask his emotions. "I just miss her, that's all. What I wouldn't give to have her back…"

His expression grew serious once again, but I still saw pain in his eyes. "Listen," he said, changing the subject. "Don't let any of this throw you off, you don't have to worry about me. You did great today, and I'm proud of you. Trust me on that one, I know when I'm honest."

I wanted to comfort him, keep him from being so upset about his sister, but I couldn't. He wanted to handle it himself. I wish I didn't have to stand by and watch. But I wanted to keep that promise.

"Okay. I promise I won't worry about you." I said. "And, thank you for being proud."

"No problem." he said, eyes lighting up. "Race you back?"

Only five hours of training, and it has already paid off. I was almost as fast as him as we swung back, occasionally trying to do some sort of trick to lift the other one's spirits. Still, even though we were laughing, and goofing off on our way back, just having a good time, I couldn't help but replay our conversation over and over again in the back of my mind. I guess, when you look at it from Arachne's point of view, she was forced to do it, but that still didn't give her the right to go entirely silent.

Maybe I just needed a closer look.

But we were back with the others now, and I couldn't dwell.

"So, how did it go?" asked Annabeth. "It went well." Lonz answered. "She's already so good at using the webs, she hardly needed any pointers at all!"

"I'm glad to hear that." I heard someone say off to the side, and I turned to see Athena. "Hello ,Athena." I said, bowing slightly. "It's nice to see you again, Violet. Alonzo was very excited about your arrival today."

"Yeah, **very** excited." Andrina emphasized, while Alonzo frantically began waving his arms in a 'Cut It Out' motion. I swear I heard Annabeth whisper into her ear, "Quit while you're ahead, Andi."

Confused, I turned to ask, but was quickly distracted by Athena. "Violet, when you go back, could you possibly ask Alaana to come back here? She went to your home to visit your brother I believe."

"Oh, uh, sure!" I said, a little bit surprised. I guess since Alaana was Peter's girlfriend, it wouldn't be surprising that he'd invite her over, but I've never seen her there. I guess it's hard to picture any of them at my place. Even Ariel, who's seen my house, but has never been inside, and hasn't met my mother or any of my siblings besides Peter when we were on the field trip.

"It was nice seeing you again." I heard Alonzo say, before he was the first to throw his arms around me this time. "I'll come back in a few days, okay?" I whispered into his ear. "Got it." he whispered again, before pulling away and smiling.

After we said our goodbyes, Ariel and I got onto the lift and we descended. Ariel chatted away the whole time, but I was only half paying attention. I pretended I was preoccupied with the mist, which looked just as majestic as before. But to be honest, the Arachne conversation was still bugging me. I didn't know why. Maybe I was unnerved, because I had never seen him upset before.

I was still focused on it twenty minutes later, walking home alone, almost there, when a fire engine startled me. The horn was blaring as it raced down the street, not an uncommon thing in the city. I paid no mind to it, until a second one followed by an ambulance raced the same way. They were going in the direction of my street, so I followed quickly afterwards.

My heart was seized with dread when they pulled up in front of my own apartment. I raced down the sidewalk. What had happened? Who was in trouble? Who needed an ambulance?

"Violet!"

It was Eric running towards me. Sweat was running down his face, and tears. "They were masked men," he hastily explained as he took my hand and pulled me towards the house. "They were searching the house, we didn't know what they wanted! Then she went to stop them and they threw her out the-"

He didn't need to finish.

The second floor window in our hallway, which looked out into an alleyway next to our home, was smashed. And lying in the glass on the concrete below, unmoving, was… was…

" **MOM!** "

 **A/N.  
Okay… that took way too long to finish.**

 **Seriously, I am very sorry about the delay. The time it took to write this chapter was so immense, that I'm very disappointed with myself with the pushbacks. On the bright side, it's long and has a lot of detail, so I hope this was worth it for you guys!**

 **Next chapter will pick up where we left off, and we'll see what'll happen to Violet's mom, and how the Jackson siblings are going to cope, especially when an unexpected visitor appears at Violet's window…**

 **Anyways, that's just about it! Once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Stay Tuned! ;)**


	6. The Bigger Picture

**A/N.  
Oh my gosh… once again, this chapter was DELAYED!**

 **And I am very sorry about that. I have had work piled into my lap day after day, and seem to have all my time eaten up. It's a miracle I got this done. I promise, the next update will definitely not take this long.**

 **I'll tell you what, let's get right into the story, shall we? This chapter might not be too exciting, but it's got some good stuff, which will build up into better stuff. And once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Enjoy!**

Chapter Six: The Bigger Picture.

How long had I been asleep? An hour? Five hours?

Whatever it was, I didn't know or care.

I don't remember much of the hazy period of time after the ambulance carted Mom off to the hospital in critical condition with a serious injury to her head. Peter followed right behind her, meaning we had the house to ourselves. He called sometime later, saying they would do everything they could to take care of her, and he would be back in the morning to come and look after us. We would be excused from school for about a week. Until then, we would look after the house until Mom was discharged.

Eric sort of took charge from there, trying hard to comfort poor Tyson and Estelle. They were in hysterics. We had already lost Dad… now we might loose Mom, and nothing would be right between us again. We should have brought her out of her stupor, and tried to connect with her again. I can't remember the last time I really, like, really _talked_ to her. It was too soon after Dad's death to let her slip away.

Even though I insisted on staying up to hear what was going to happen to Mom, the numbness that set in after my own tears were shed was slowly dragging me away from the real world. I remember someone helping me carefully upstairs, and placing a blanket around my shoulders. I drew my feet up behind me, not even caring that my head was at the foot of my bed with no pillow, and was taken away from my now dark reality.

In my sleep, disturbing images lash out at me. My mother's image, woven into a tapestry and then shattered like glass. Arachne, submerged in an endless ocean of mist, with Alonzo's voice screaming her name over sirens screeching from the shadows. My own reflection, with a hollowed face and big, bulging black eyes that resemble Alonzo's. Even Norman Osbourne's voice slipped in somewhere.

" _Why be human… when you could be_ _ **better**_ _?"_

"No!"

I jerked awake, startled. To finally escape from that nightmare felt wonderful. I stretched, then looked over at Estelle's bed. In the darkness, I could see her curled in a small ball, the blankets surrounding her as if she were in a nest. She must have been unbelievably tired to not have heard me shout.

A quick glance at the clock told me it was almost three in the morning. Rain spattered against the window, which I couldn't see due to the blinds being drawn, but the soft, rhythmic tapping sounded nice. Almost as if to provide a comforting lullaby.

Almost…

'Masked Men'. That's what Eric had called them. When asked later by the police to describe them, he had given as much of a thorough explanation as he could, but it didn't leave them with very many leads. All of them were dressed in black, and had covered their faces. They could have literally been anyone on earth, and we would have never been able to discover them with such sparse information.

There was no way I would fall asleep again easily, now that my imagination was up and running. I sat back against the wall, closing my eyes.

 _Tap…..tap…..tap….._

The rain would give me a good distraction. Calming. Natural. I half wished it would wash away all my emotions for the night, so that I could rest peacefully.

 _Tap… tap_ _ **tap!tap!tap!**_ _...tap..._ _ **tap!tap!tap!**_ _..._

Wait…

I sat up and listened. For a moment, it sounded as if someone outside was tapping…

 **Tap!tap!tap! Tap!tap!tap!**

After wondering for a few seconds if it wasn't my own warped imagination playing tricks on me, I realized that someone was indeed tapping on my window. Urgently.

I slipped out from under the blanket and placed my feet on the floor. I hadn't bothered to change clothes in the chaos that had descended upon our home, but I grabbed my robe anyways. Walking to the window, I tentatively opened the blinds to see what was out there.

You can imagine my surprise when I saw the large, solid black figure staring upside down back at me.

I yelped, stumbling backwards, and fell to the floor. When I glanced up at Estelle, she didn't even stir. I was about to grab something, anything off the floor to fight off a potential intruder, when I noticed, and then recognized, the gleam of amber in their eyes. As a matter of fact, all four pairs of eyes, and then the sheepish green tinted grin a few moments later.

"Lonz?" I asked, quickly rising. Yes, there he was, hanging upside down from the fire escape above my window. He nodded on the other side of the glass, and motioned for me to open the window. Grateful that it was him and not someone else looking to disturb our fragile peace, I opened it.

"Sorry." he whispered. "I couldn't fit on your fire escape. This was the best option."

"What are you doing here?" I asked in a hushed voice, quickly looking over my shoulder to make sure Estelle didn't wake. Sometimes she would, but she was a master at faking sleep. When I was absolutely positive she wasn't eavesdropping, I turned back to Lonz.

"Checking on you." he answered quietly. "Alaana came right back and told us everything as soon as she left your house. Then I waited until everyone was asleep to come out here."

"Are you allowed out alone?" I asked.

He gulped. "Uh… normally. I usually ask first. But I had to make sure you were okay."

I nodded. "Don't worry. I won't tell, if you don't want me to."

He smiled. "Thank you."

That's when I noticed he was wobbling slightly, trying not to fall. "Oh! Do you want to move to the roof? I can climb up there and meet you if you want."

"Sure." he said, backing up out of sight. "That'll feel a lot better than being upside down."

"Just make sure not to make too much noise." I said, watching his retreating figure, cloaked in rainwater and shadow. "If Estelle wakes up, we're dead."

"Good to know. Thanks Vi."

I fumbled around in the darkness until I found my sneakers, slipping them on with ease. Then I made my way into the dark closet and found my raincoat, quietly putting it on as well. As I put one leg over the window ledge, I gazed at Estelle one more time. Not a peep from her. Good. She needed sleep anyways.

The rain still fell lightly as I shut my window. Now Alonzo and I were free to talk in peace. I began to climb the fire escape. If I were in better spirits, I would have tested out some webbing right here, but my energy was drained.

Alonzo was patiently waiting for me at the edge of the roof, unable to go anywhere else. He reached out an arm for me to grab, which I did to hoist myself up. I sat myself down on the ledge next to him. It was now that I noticed his cloak for the first time. It was a shade of indigo, and hung in ruins around his shoulders and down his back. Clumps of webbing hung from spots, and it seemed that there were webs woven in between the wide, gaping holes.

He followed my gaze and smiled sadly. "It could look better. When it comes to repairs, it turns out I'm pretty shabby."

An edge of exhaustion crept into his voice. I looked up. "You haven't been planning this all night, have you?" I asked. He doesn't answer. I'm starting to worry. "Are you sure this can't wait until morning?" I ask. "You look tired."

"No, I'm fine." he answers. Then, he frowns. "Vi, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am about your mother. Do you know if she'll recover?"

I shake my head. "We haven't heard anything from Peter yet. He'll probably call us in the morning, but we don't have any info so far."

"I hope she'll recover fast."

"Me too."

My thoughts drifted back to Mom. My mother, and her broken spirit. The thought that she may never recover made me feel sick and disturbed. Life would be miserable. I would never be able to cope if I lost her. I only just began putting myself back together after losing Dad, and now… It was too soon to tell what we did next. And we can't do anything without Mom's survival being counted on.

"Do you think they'll catch the guys that did it?"

I'm pulled away again and back to Lonz. I shake my head. "I doubt it. They were concealed from head to toe. And what's worse, we don't even know what they wanted. They just busted through the door and began to ransack the place, and they escaped without taking a thing. What they wanted wasn't there, apparently..."

And that's when it hit me. I trailed off again. An ill feeling was bubbling up in my stomach, when I realized something. I had made a mistake. A crucial one.

"Oh my god!" I shouted. Alonzo's eyes widened. "What's wrong?" he asked.

 _I wasn't there either._

"I could have stopped this…" I whispered. Tears spilled out over my cheeks.

"What?" Alonzo asked, confused.

My voice was barely above a murmur. "If I had been there, they wouldn't have hurt her… Mom wouldn't have gotten hurt!"

I began to sob. Mom was hurt because I wasn't there to protect her. My whole family had been exposed to danger because I wasn't there. I had failed to use my power for any good, and I was responsible for all this pain. If I had been there, none of this would have happened. It was my fault. My fault for being in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

As I buried my face in my hands, I felt Alonzo put his arms around me. I rested my head against his chest, feeling his heartbeat underneath. I was trembling, and he held me tighter. My tears mixed with the rainwater. Thunder rumbled in the distance, somewhere outside of the city, as if the sky itself could sense my distress.

"You can't blame yourself Violet."

Apparently, Alonzo could sense it too.

"If I had been there-"

"Blaming yourself will only make the pain worse. Please don't do that. You had no idea any of this would happen."

I couldn't argue with the first one. The realization that I caused this was making me feel pretty lousy. But I couldn't shake the feeling that this was no accident. Something that I did, by not choosing to be home when it happened, was what brought on this tragedy. My choice affected this, and brought on misery.

"Please Violet? Please don't try and think this was your fault?"

How could I not think it was my fault? It was hard for me not to. I looked up into his eyes, searching for an answer. Whatever he wanted me to say, I would say it. But it didn't look very clear. He looked just as upset as I probably looked at the moment.

"Okay." I answered. "Okay, I'll try."

Hopefully, I could live up to this promise.

We sat in silence for a while. I focused on breathing slowly and trying to take control of my emotions again. Thunder still brewed above us, and I saw the occasional flash of lightning, but surprisingly, it left us alone. I watched it with fascination, trying to get my mind off of the horrors of the evening that were now behind us.

Lonz followed my gaze, and realized what I was looking at. "He's protecting us."

I frowned. "Who?"

He smiled. "Can you think of anyone?"

My stomach dropped and my eyes widened as I suddenly remembered. How on earth I had forgotten about Zeus, I will never know.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to forget-"

I stopped. Alonzo had begun to laugh quietly. "It's alright. You meant no disrespect. He'll understand."

This made me calm slightly. That was good. The last thing I needed was to anger the King of the Gods himself. Especially when he was going out of his way to make sure we were safe on this rooftop, despite us being exposed. I watched Lonz turn to face the stormy sky and give a knowing smile, even as the rain pelted down onto his face.

"Do you miss him?" I asked.

He looked back down at me, letting the raindrops trickle down his face. "My grandfather?" he asked, just to clarify. I nodded. And he nodded back.

"I miss him terribly," he said softly. "I was very fond of him in my youth. Everyone always talks about how angry he can get, and I have seen it on occasion, but he was always very kind to me and my sisters. And he's actually visited us here on occasion, did you know that?"

"No, I didn't!" I said, genuinely surprised. Then again, I don't think Zeus would be cruel enough not to come see his daughter and grandchildren. It shouldn't have surprised me.

"New York really isn't his style, so it's not often, but he says it's worth it to see me and my sisters and mother." he explained. "Mother will sometimes go back to Olympus on occasion as well. She still has to attend to business there, but not often. She goes at least once a year."

"What does she do there?" I asked.

"She doesn't go into details too much. Mostly, it's for progress meetings, but occasionally if there's a criminal they have to keep tabs on, they'll assemble in an emergency." he said.

 _Criminals._

"Criminals." I repeated out loud. Lonz looked at me with confusion. "What?" he asked. I almost didn't catch his question. "Criminals." I said again, sounding (and feeling) as if it was the answer to everything. However, all I did with that was succeed in confusing him further. "Vi, what's the matter? Did I say something?"

I finally lifted my head away from his chest. I saw the bigger picture.

Lightning had struck.

And I didn't mean from above.

"Don't you get it?" I said, standing and beginning to pace. "Criminals. They are absolutely everywhere in the city. These kinds of things, like what happened to my Mom, happen every single night. It's crime after crime after crime."

I scanned the skyline. Somewhere in the darkness, amongst the blinding lights and rain, there where muggings, robberies, and worse things.

"Violet, I don't think I understand."

I turned back to my friend, sitting bewildered on the edge of the rooftop. My heart was racing again, only faster than before. I was wildly excited to tell him about the idea that was rapidly taking place.

"I may not have been able to prevent what happened to Mom… but maybe they won't be able to get away with hurting anyone else!" I said. "Me gaining my powers doesn't have to be a coincidence, or an accident. Now that I have them, I can use them to defend the city!"

Now he gets it. All eight eyes go wide as the realization comes over him.

"You mean… stopping criminals?" he asks uncertainly.

"Exactly." I answer without hesitation. I knew this was it. This was what I had to do. I cared too much about this city not to. Now that I had seen the horrors of crime, and had the power to stop it, I could seize the opportunity. I would be doing something good for my home. I would make my Mom proud, even if she didn't know about it.

"Violet, that's a huge commitment." he said, sounding more serious than I had ever heard him. "Think about it. This city is huge, you can't up and save everyone."

"If I can at least do something about it, one tiny thing, that would be good enough." I explained. "I need this. This will help us both become stronger, and help the city. All I need is some more training, and then we can give it a try. What do you say?"

He sat for a moment, contemplating what to do. It was as if I was watching the wheels turn in his brain. Finally, he sighed.

"You do know I have to stay to the sidelines… but I'm in. I'll help you in any way that I can." he said, a determined smile lighting up his face.

My heart soared. I dropped to my knees and threw my arms around him. We were knocked off balance for a moment, both gasping at the sudden shift, but it didn't matter to either of us. We were officially in this together.

"Thank you, Alonzo." I whispered. "For everything."

"It's no problem." he assured. I helped him sit back up, and we looked into each other's eyes through the downpour. "We'll pick up on training tomorrow," Lonz explained. "You can come to our home as much as you wish for training, and once you feel ready, we'll go on a test run. You know, see if anyone is doing something that needs stopping. Deal?"

"Deal." I answered. I was thrilled. This is what Mom, and maybe even Dad, would want me to do. I was absolutely certain of it. And I was ready.

Suddenly, as we sat in silence for a few minutes longer, I noticed that Lonz was shivering and sat up. Then I realized that I was too. We were utterly soaked through with rainwater.

"Oh my… how long have we been out here?!" I gasped, the cold hitting me with full force.

"Lonz, you should be getting home, you're freezing! I'll come tomorrow and we'll talk then. Okay?"

He nodded, wrapping his waterlogged cloak closer around him. "Sure. Don't worry about me. I'll get home okay, and if I'm caught by my sisters, then I'll have to explain. I don't mind."

I walked over to the fire-escape and began my descent. As I did, I looked up one more time and smiled. "See you tomorrow, Lonz." I whispered.

He smiled right back. "You too, Vi."

Before he was out of my view, I saw him turn his face to the sky one more time, looking uncertain. The rumble of approval that sounded eased his features into one more grin. And then I was in my room again, knowing he would get home safely, and that I needed to try and get back to sleep. Estelle was still soundly sleeping in the same position. I quickly ducked into my closet, changed into some pajamas, and collapsed back into bed. I didn't even bother to check what time it was.

Anticipating tomorrow's visit to the Web, I slid back into my dreams. I imagined myself swinging through the city, and wondered if what I saw in my dreams would turn out to be true.

Little did I know, it definitely would. The only thing my dreams didn't predict was the disguise…

 **A/N.  
Hopefully, the next chapter won't take so long to write. And speaking of the next chapter, it'll involve a little time jump, with a very familiar costume making it's debut. How she gets it, I will reveal next chapter.**

 **That's it for this time! And once you're done, leave a review, favorite, follow, and as always…**

 **Stay tuned! ;)**


End file.
